


The Way to Happiness

by LightningSupernova



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Nicole Haught Backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-08-23 16:21:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16622309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningSupernova/pseuds/LightningSupernova
Summary: With Bulshar defeated and the curse broken, it’s finally time for Alice to come home. Having the little girl back with them causes Waverly and Nicole to think about their own future. But the steps they take bring back some unwanted attention for Nicole.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to The Way Back (To You) but I think it could stand on its own. There are only a few references to the previous story. For those who want to read it, you can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16245959 It’s short and I’d appreciate it! It’s basically how I fixed the end of season three.
> 
> This is not a completly, tooth rotting fluffy story. I promise :)
> 
> Thanks to my Beta, Rebellion_Bear!

_She was coming home._

It was the only thought running through Wynonna’s mind as she paced through the living room.

Two months after the curse was broken. Just shy of one year after she was sent away.

_She was coming home._

“Will you please sit down?” Waverly called out.

Wynonna stopped and gazed at her sister on the couch. She huffed and dropped down next to her. “Shouldn’t they be here already? What if something went wrong? I should’ve gone with them!” Waverly’s hand on her arm stopped her from getting to her feet again.

“Nicole called twenty minutes ago. They landed safely and are on their way here.” The airport was an hour drive, so Waverly had time to calm her sister down. “Breathe, Wynonna.” This was exactly the reason why they had decided that it was best Wynonna stayed at the homestead with Waverly to calm her down while Nicole made the drive to pick them up.

Them. The missing part of their expanded family. Her aunt Gus and her little niece. Alice.

Wynonna nodded and took a deep breath. She needed to get her shit together and finally become the mother her kid deserves. It would be a steep learning curve, sure, and she was bloody terrified. But she had a family and they would stand by her side. And that included Doc, who was keeping himself busy fixing the barn, still in shambles after the shootout with Bulshar’s minions. She turned to look at her sister, needing a distraction. “How are you and Really Haught doing these days?”

Waverly grinned at the new nickname Wynonna had stuck on. Nicole pretended to be annoyed when she used it, but they all knew that was just an act. “We’re great. Nicole’s working hard to take over from Nedley permanently. And she’s finally getting in some new recruits. Once they settle in, things should run smoothly at the precinct again.” It had been a tough couple of weeks, with Nicole pushing herself to recover from the injuries sustained from getting Waverly back from Paradise.

Slipping an arm around Waverly’s shoulders, Wynonna pulled her sister closer and rested their heads together. “You two are sickeningly cute, you know that?” she teased. “And I couldn’t be happier for you both.” She let herself relax a bit more, leaning on her sister’s strength. Wynonna truly was only the sidekick in their relationship.

 

* * *

 

As Nicole pulled up at the Homestead, she glanced back in her rearview mirror. Her eyes met those of Gus, and the older woman gave her a relieved smile. She had missed Purgatory, demons and all. But she’d gladly given it up for the little girl currently dozing in her lap. Still, she was glad Wynonna had managed to break that damned curse sooner rather than later. She wanted Alice to grow up with her whole family. With her mother.

The lurch of the car woke up the girl up and baby blue eyes looked around in confusion. “It’s ok, baby girl. You’re home.” Alice looked up at her great-aunt and smiled, not understanding what was happening, but everyone was happy around her. It was probably ok then. She turned her head when she heard the car door open and smiled when she saw the red hair. This person was nice too.

Nicole held out her hand to help Gus get out of the car. Spring had come to Purgatory, which just meant there was no more snow, but the ground was still wet and slippery. She didn’t want Gus to fall, even if the proud woman insisted she was fine. Nicole heard the door from the homestead open and watched as the Earp sisters stepped outside. The sight of Waverly, bunched up in a fleece sweater (one of her own!) made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She felt a nudge and looked down at Gus who shook her head.

“Stop dreaming, girl, and get our luggage.” Gus chuckled when Nicole uttered a “yes ma’am” and went around the back of the car to the trunk. Waverly sure picked a good one.

“Are you teasing my girlfriend again, aunt Gus? You’re as bad as Wynonna,” Waverly said happily as she approached, going in for a hug. “I missed you,” she murmured into Gus’ neck. Then she pulled back and looked at the girl on her aunt’s arm, big blue eyes gazing at her in wonder. “And you must be Alice. Hi!” She gave the girl a little wave. When she heard the gravel crunch behind her, Waverly stepped to the side to let Wynonna pass.

Gus looked at her eldest niece and saw how nervous she looked. She took a breath and turned slightly so Alice was facing Wynonna. “Alice. This is your mama.”

Wynonna’s breath hitched and she had to swallow around the lump in her throat. She looked at the girl, who, without a doubt, had Doc’s eyes. Alice shied away a bit, leaning closer against Gus, but her eyes never left Wynonna. Slightly overwhelmed by all these new people, but still curious.

Nicole stepped up carrying two suitcases in her hands. She put one down when Waverly draped herself around her and wrapped an arm around Waverly’s waist, pulling her close. “Everything alright?”

Waverly took a deep breath, watching as Wynonna reached out a trembling hand and smiling when Alice took hold of one of her fingers. She spotted Doc, watching it all from the porch, his hat in his hands and tears in his eyes. “Yeah … I think it will be.”

 

* * *

 

When evening fell, Nicole and Waverly snuggled together on the couch in silence. Waverly took a sip from the mug of tea she held between her hands for warmth and sighed in contentment. She felt Nicole kiss the back of her head. “I almost can’t believe this is real,” she said softly and turned to look at Nicole. “She’s here. She’s safe.” Or as safe as one could be in Purgatory, but with the revenants gone she shouldn’t be a target anymore.

Nicole hummed in reply, taking a sip from her bottle of beer. Waverly put her mug on the coffee table and turned around completely, facing Nicole. She reached for Nicole’s hand and trailed her finger down the angry scar that ran down her palm, remembering what her girlfriend risked to get her back, to keep _her_ safe. “Have you ever thought about having some kids of your own?” Waverly wasn’t sure where the question came from. It was just there, out of the blue, as she realised what lengths Nicole would go to to keep her family safe. All of her family.

The question made Nicole almost choke on her beer and she had to swallow a couple of times to get the last mouthful down. “Jeesh, Waves.”

Misunderstanding, Waverly dropped her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t need to answer. I shouldn't have asked …” She was interrupted when Nicole’s hand closed around her own.

Nicole put her bottle down on the floor and twisted her upper body to face Waverly fully. “It’s ok to ask that. Totally ok. Ok?” She waited until Waverly looked back up, a small smile playing on her lips. “And to answer your question. No, I haven’t really thought about that. I figured that with my lifestyle, kids wouldn’t be in the picture. And I was ok with that.” She watched the little dip of Waverly’s head. “But that was before I met you. And the balance you brought into my life.” She reached up and tucked a strand of brown hair back behind Waverly’s ear. “I want it all with you.”

“Yeah?” Waverly sniffed, not able to hold back the big smile when Nicole nodded, a grin appearing on her face. She was about to lean forward to capture those lips in a kiss when she heard someone clear her throat.

“What are you two lovebirds talking about to make you look so sugary I fear going into diabetic shock?” Wynonna asked.

Waverly didn’t look away from Nicole. “Oh, just about what Nicole is going to do to me when we get home,” she replied without missing a beat.

“Gross,” Wynonna said with a grimace. Nicole sniggered, not able to help herself. Wynonna rolled her eyes, “Well, get going then. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Waverly looked at her sister. “You sure you’ll be ok?”

“Yeah. Gus is sleeping in your old room. We put the crib there, too, and Alice is out like a light. Jetlag, probably. Doc’s still in the barn. He managed to get it windproof again, so he can sleep there.” Wynonna would probably go and see him later. They still needed to talk some things through.

Nicole picked up her beer and finished it in one gulp. She stood and went into the kitchen to throw the bottle away, taking Waverly’s empty mug with her to put in the sink. Waverly slipped into her boots and stood, hugging her sister. “We’ll be by in the morning.”

“Sure, Waves. Love you,” Wynonna’s hug was a bit tighter, stronger than usual, caused by the emotions of the day.

Nicole took both their coats from the rack by the door and helped Waverly slip into hers before putting on her own. “Good night, Wynonna.”

“Sheriff Really Haught.” Wynonna pretended to nudge her hat in a cowboy greeting, making Nicole blow out her breath in exasperation. Waverly chuckled as she looked between the two. She opened the door and took Nicole’s hand, leading them both outside.

Wynonna closed the door behind them with a smile. Those two were made for each other. She glanced up at the stairs and sighed deeply. Her daughter was there, sleeping. It had been a bit awkward, but that was to be expected. Alice didn’t know who she was. Gus was good with her, hell, great even. After all, Gus was the one to practically raise Waverly and herself after their mother left. She knew how to handle an Earp. And that was necessary, as Alice’s stubborn streak was already shining  through. Shaking her head, she took her own coat and went outside to the barn. She knocked on the door, she could give Doc that courtesy. After getting the ok, she pushed the door open and slipped inside.

Doc was laying on the bed, propped up against the headboard while reading a book. He lowered it down to his side when Wynonna came closer. “Wynonna? What brings you out here at this ungodly hour?”

Wynonna removed her coat and tossed it to the floor. It was warm in the barn, thanks to a gas-fueled stove Doc had installed a couple of weeks ago. “Our daughter is home,” she said as she walked to the bed. She held a hand on Doc’s chest when he tried to get up and threw one leg over his waist, getting into his lap and straddling him.

“Wynonna,” Doc mumbled, knowing they needed to talk first. He let out a breath when she leaned forward, silencing him with a kiss. His hands went to her waist and he allowed the kiss to deepen. Wynonna ripped open his shirt, her hands starting on his belt. Doc shifted, pushing Wynonna off him onto her back, covering her with his body. He held himself up on his arms and stared down at the woman who owned his heart. He groaned when a hand snaked into his jeans, and he leaned down, capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

They could always talk later.

 

* * *

 

Nicole unlocked the door of her house and held it open to let Waverly in before shutting and locking it behind them. She flipped on the lights as they removed their boots and coats. “Hey CJ,” Waverly called out when the ginger cat came up and rubbed herself against her leg. “Are you hungry, baby?” The cat meowed and ran off to the kitchen, Waverly following with a chuckle.

Nicole leaned in the doorway, listening as Waverly fed her cat. She went into the kitchen and watched as Waverly crouched down, rubbing CJ’s head and pouring kibble into her bowl. “My cat is starting to like you more than me,” she said. “Then again, I can’t blame her. I can’t possibly compete with the nicest person in Purgatory.”

Waverly smiled as she stood and sauntered over to Nicole. She looped one hand around Nicole’s belt and pulled her close. “I thought she was _our_ cat. Since you asked me to move in with you and all.” She put her arms around Nicole’s neck and looked up into those warm, brown eyes.

“Of course she’s ours. Everything I own, everything I am … It’s yours.” Nicole pressed a finger underneath Waverly’s chin, tipping her head up and leaned down to capture her lips.

Their kiss started out slow and gentle, with Waverly maneuvering them backwards towards the staircase. She broke off the kiss, going back for a soft peck, and took Nicole’s hand, leading her up the stairs to their bedroom. She could feel Nicole’s eyes on her, probably zooming in on her ass from her position. Waverly climbed the stairs with an extra sway of her hips, not missing the hitch in Nicole’s breath. She pushed the door open and turned around, giving one last pull on Nicole’s hand before her fingers buried themselves in those red locks, their lips locking once more. Waverly felt Nicole’s hands trail down her waist over her ass to her tights and she hopped up, groaning when she felt Nicole lift her and press her tightly against her body. It always thrilled her when Nicole did that, showing off just how tall and strong she really was. Nicole crossed the few steps to their bed and gently lowered Waverly down, stretching her lank body down over her girlfriend.

 

* * *

 

Since Sheriff Haught wasn’t supposed to get in before noon, they had a lazy morning and took full advantage of it. After a communal shower that took way too long but left them both more than satisfied, Nicole cooked up some pancakes for breakfast while Waverly checked her emails on her laptop. She sat at the kitchen table, a mug of soothing sunshine herbal tea next to her, and glanced up at regular intervals as Nicole worked the skillet. Her emails didn’t take long and she had already moved forward to doing some research.

“Nicole?” Waverly asked before taking a sip from her mug.

Nicole flipped a pancake, the corner of her mouth curling up at the smooth move. She glanced at Waverly for a second before turning back to her stove.

“I’ve done some more thinking about our conversation from yesterday,” Waverly started. “Have you ever heard of reciprocal IVF?”

The pan clanged loudly when it slipped from Nicole’s hand. She let out a small curse and cleaned up the spilled batter, turning about as red as her hair.

Taking that as a yes, Waverly continued. “I just … I think I really like the thought of some part of you growing inside of me. I mean … if you were a guy, that would be so much easier. But you aren’t, and I’m not saying I mind. I really, _really_ don’t. But it would just be so much easier if you could just knock me up and we’d be like … oops …” she was babbling now, fearing she said something wrong.

Nicole quickly turned off the stove and went to Waverly, dropping to her knees next to her. “Waves,” she started, taking hold of her girlfriend’s hand. She waited until Waverly lifted her eyes to meet hers. “I am … honored … you feel that way.” She had to blink away some emotional tears. “And I know that me being a woman makes it a bit more complicated. But it’s perfectly doable.”

Waverly squeezed her hand. “Those procedures cost a lot of money. And they don’t always work on the first go.”

Bringing their joined hands to her lips, Nicole placed a soft kiss on the back of Waverly’s hand. “That’s ok. I still have that trust fund my parents left me that I always refused to use.” When Waverly started to shake her head, she kissed her hand again to sush her. “I mean it, then it can finally be turned into something good.”

Waverly stood and pulled Nicole to her feet, burying herself against the taller woman when she felt the first tears slide down her cheeks. Nicole made some soothing noises and rubbed her hands up and down Waverly’s back.

After a few minutes, Waverly took a shuddering breath and started to chuckle. “God, we’re already a mess. What will happen when we need to start hormone therapy?”

Nicole barked out a laugh of her own. “Set up a doctor’s appointment. We can get everything sorted out. We’ll probably need to get some tests done first as well.”  

Waverly beamed up at Nicole. “I love you, Nicole Rayleigh Haught.”

Nicole smiled and kissed the top of Waverly’s nose. “And I love you. Now, can you please teach your sister how to pronounce my middle name?”

Waverly chuckled before getting up on her toes and capturing Nicole’s lips with her own.

 

* * *

 

By the time Alice had her first birthday party, the girl had started to feel a little bit more at home. Gus still lived at the homestead, helping Wynonna out and trying to figure out how Doc fit into the story. The gunslinger kept busy fixing bits and pieces around the house and made himself useful, while staying close to keep an eye on his daughter. Gus kept a close eye on him, wanting to be sure he was up to being a father to his little girl.

They had a small gathering in their living room to celebrate Alice. Jeremy and Robin showed up with a huge fluffy unicorn, which Alice immediately loved, to everyone’s amusement. Doc had carved a bundle of wooden toy animals for his daughter. Waverly and Nicole got her a couple of soft covered picture books. Waverly couldn’t wait to start teaching the girl to read. And Wynonna and Gus chipped in together for a new crib that could turn into a bed when Alice got older.

Wynonna leaned against the couch and watched her daughter play around with a ball on the floor. She was sitting between Nicole’s long legs, letting out small squeals of joy when Nicole rolled it to her. Wynonna looked to her side when she felt Waverly besides her, nudging her in the shoulder. “Look at that. Sheriff Haughtpants is good with kids … Who would’ve thought?” She gave her sister a grin. Nicole was probably good at everything.

Waverly let out a breath of contentment, remembering the doctor’s visit they went to yesterday. The both of them had gotten a clean bill of health and the doctor’s ok to move forward with their plans.

“I’ve got cake!” Gus called out as she walked into the room. She was carrying a plate with a huge cake and put it down on the dining room table.

Nicole pulled herself up from the floor and scooped Alice up into her arms, lifting her high in the air. She chuckled when the girl cried out in glee. She carried Alice to Gus, who was waiting by her high chair and set her down. She moved to Waverly, pulling the shorter woman to her side and placing a kiss on her head.

“You looked cute,” Waverly said, leaning into her girlfriend. She watched as Wynonna helped Alice blow out the candles on her cake and cheered with the others.

Nicole moved behind Waverly and leaned her chin on her shoulder, her arms pulling Waverly closer into her. She interweaved their fingers. “You ready to start a family?” She kept her voice low, not wanting to be overheard just yet.

Waverly turned her head, beaming up at Nicole. “Damn right I am.” She captured Nicole’s lips in a kiss, both of them missing the knowing glint in Gus’ eyes as the older woman glanced their way.

 

* * *

  


Nicole sat at her desk in her office going through some paperwork. She squinted for a moment and dropped her pen on top of her file, leaning back in her chair. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to fight the headache brewing behind her eyes. Three weeks of hormone therapy, three weeks of headaches, hot flashes and bad temper. She was running out of excuses to tell her co-workers. She was almost glad they had started to avoid her as much as possible. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be for much longer. She looked at the door when she heard the stomping noises and groaned. Only one person would make an entrance like that.  

Sure enough, Wynonna’s leather boots kicked open her door, her hands filled with doughnuts and coffee. “There’s my favorite ginger!” She dropped the items in her hands on the desk, not caring when they spilled and stained the papers underneath. She dropped down in the chair and propped her feet up on the desk, biting into a jam filled doughnut with gusto.

Nicole tried to fight the sigh, she really did, but she was tired and in pain and Wynonna just knew how to push her buttons. “What do you want, Wynonna?”

The Earp didn’t look impressed as she continued chewing. “I’ve been wondering why your rookies seem to be avoiding this place. Never been easier to get volunteers to go on patrol. They even fight for speed trap duty.” She took another bite. “What’s got your knickers in a twist, Red? Is it my sister?” She swallowed sharply and sat up, putting her feet back on the floor. “It’s not my sister is it?” She actually sounded worried. If those two couldn’t stick together, who could?

“Waverly’s fine, we’re fine,” Nicole shook her head. “I’m just feeling a bit under the weather, Earp. I’ll be fine.”

“Then go home, for god’s sake. We can hold the fort.” Ever since Nicole deputised her, Wynonna had been trying to clean up her act and keep her town safe. There was still the odd demon or two, but mostly they dealt with burglars, drunks and breaking up fights. All things Wynonna knew how to deal with, both hands tied behind her back.

Nicole arched an eyebrow. “You know, you really should start wearing your uniform if you’re serious about acting like my deputy. It’s confusing for the rookies.” She imagined Wynonna wearing her blues and couldn’t fight the grin. That would be quite a sight.

After a moment of hesitation, Nicole conceded and stood. “At the first sign of trouble, you call me,” she said, holding out a finger at Wynonna. “And please get your crumbs off my desk.” She sighed when Wynonna gave her a wink, and she grabbed her coat and stetson from a hook by the door. Shaking her head, she left her office and the station. A hot bath and her bed sounded nice at the moment.

During the next hour or so, Wynonna tried to be on her best behavior. She cleaned Nicole’s desk, even organized the remaining paperwork. But by now she was getting bored. She sat back in Nicole’s chair, feet on the desk as always, blowing bubble gum bubbles when she heard the door open.

“Oh, Hi Wynonna,” Waverly said, mildly confused by her sister being behind that desk. “Where’s Nicole?”

Wynonna let the front legs of her chair drop back down and sat straight. “I send Red home to give the rookies, and myself, a bit of space. She’s been biting our heads off for weeks. Surprised she didn’t call you.”

Waverly wasn’t very surprised, knowing that Nicole had the tendency to be stoic and silent when she was uncomfortable or in pain. “She probably didn’t want to worry me. I’ll go check on her.”

Wynonna stopped her before she had the chance to leave. “Tell me, really, Waves … What’s going on with her? It’s like she’s going all hormonal on us.” She gasped, “Did you knock her up?!”

Waverly mentally face palmed herself. “No, Wynonna. I’m sure you know that doesn’t work that way.” She shook her head at the wide grin on her sister’s face and decided that she should tell the truth. “We didn’t want to tell anyone just yet in case it doesn’t work.” She rubbed at her arm, “Nicole’s on a hormonal treatment so we can … you know … h-have a baby.”  

“So you are _going_ to get her knocked up?!”

“Not exactly. She’s taking hormones to get her to produce more eggs that can then be harvested, fertilised and implanted into … well, me.” Waverly worried her lip between her teeth, not knowing how her sister would feel about them going forward with such an elaborate procedure.

It took Wynonna a moment to think it over. “So that means you’d have a little ginger growing inside of you?”

“That’s the idea, yeah.”

Wynonna rounded the desk and engulfed her sister in a hug. “That’s brilliant, Waves.” She leaned back but kept her hands on Waverly’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you, baby girl. Of you both. But really, how long will Sheriff Cranky still be amongst us?” It made Waverly chuckle. “Go on, tell Nicole I’ll keep the rooks in line and keep the town from burning to the ground for as long as she needs it.”

“That’s really sweet, Wynonna,” Waverly said. “I’ll be sure to let her know that.”

 

* * *

 

“Nicole, sweetie?” Waverly called out when she let herself into their home. Not getting an answer, she tiptoed further into the room and smiled at the sight that greeted her on the couch. Nicole, sleeping underneath a blanket with the orange furball that was CJ on her chest. The cat lifted her head and yawned when Waverly approached, standing and stretching before jumping down and disappearing into the kitchen. Nicole inhaled sharply at the movement and Waverly crouched down next to the couch, trailing her fingers down Nicole’s forehead. She watched as her eyes fluttered open. “Hey, baby. Why didn’t you call me?”

Nicole stretched her back before turning to her side, snuggling into Waverly. “Mmm … Didn’t want to worry you,” she mumbled. “I’m ok. Took some Vicodin for my head. All better now.” She gave Waverly a dreamy, lopsided smile. “I feel a bit floaty.”

Waverly chuckled as she wiped some strands of hair from Nicole’s face. Her girlfriend had a very low tolerance for painkillers. “I bet you do, sweetie. How about we get you to bed?” She helped Nicole to her feet and up the stairs, glad that her girlfriend was placid when she was inebriated, whether is was because of alcohol or medication. She tucked Nicole into bed, brown eyes closing almost immediately as her breathing evened out in sleep.

“I love you so much, Nicole Haught.” Waverly leaned down and placed a kiss on Nicole’s lips, smiling softly when Nicole snuggled deeper into her blankets. Waverly turned off the lights and went back downstairs to feed CJ and prepare them both some dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left comments and/or kuddos!
> 
> This story will have about 5 chapters, maybe 6, 4 are allready written and being beta read (thanks Rebellion_Bear!)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Are you sure this is the right place, Vincent?”

Vincent looked at his wife and shrugged before stepping out of the car. He frowned when his Italian designer shoes hit the muck covering the streets. “I doubt there are many other towns called Purgatory, dear.” He stretched to his full height, shaking out his shoulders after the long drive. He watched over the top of the car as his wife stepped out, her face scrunched in distaste as she looked around.

“Of all places she could go ... ” Elizabeth murmured, taking in the area.

“I’m sure it has its perks.” Vincent sounded doubtful. He saw the sign for Shorty’s saloon and motioned his head. “Perhaps a drink is in order first. And it’s a good place to start. It won’t take us long to find her, and then we can all finally go home.”

Elizabeth huffed and ducked her head so she could see herself in the side mirror of the car. She brought a hand up to her auburn hair, making sure it was kept in place by the pins and barrettes. If she had to spend time in this backwater of a town, she would surely do it in style.

Vincent shook his head and rounded the car, offering his arm for his wife to take. They carefully crossed the street, trying to ignore the looks they were getting from locals. Several had stopped to eye them suspiciously. Visitors were few and far between with the legend of Wyatt Earp slowly winding down. And these visitors reeked of money. From their designer clothes to the fancy Lexus they were driving. Vincent pushed open the door to the bar and held it open for his wife, glad that they were off the street.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened when she took it all in. From the old and tacky decor, to the rugged patrons inside, to the mustached cowboy behind the bar. She squared her shoulders and strode his way, feeling her husband behind her.

The moment they entered, Doc had a feeling he knew exactly who these strange people where. The man was slender and tall, his light brown hair peppered with gray. The woman was a bit shorter and obviously dyed her hair, but Doc would’ve bet money on it that she was a redhead. “Welcome to Purgatory, Milady. Sir.” He tipped his hat, trying to be as polite as he could be.

Vincent nodded in greeting and sat down on a barstool. He wiped his hand on the seating of the one next to him, knowing his wife would not take it before being absolutely sure it was clean. “We will both have a glass of white wine, please. Californian, if you have it.”

Doc blinked for a moment. “I will have to check my cellar. Excuse me for a moment.” He gave them both a smile and stepped away from the bar. Opening the door to the basement and going down the stairs, he called out, “Do we have white wine? Californian?”

Waverly poked her head up from behind a crate and frowned. “There might be some in the back there. It’s French though.” She stood and laid down the clipboard she was using for inventory on top of the crate. “Who’s asking for it?” It was not something that was regularly requested.

Rummaging through some boxes, Doc found a bottle and returned to the stairs. “Some strange new folks that just turned up. There’s something eerily familiar about them.”

Intrigued, Waverly followed Doc up the stairs and looked outside, immediately spotting the couple looking very uncomfortable at the bar. “They’re not from around here.”

“American, I believe.” Doc shrugged.

Waverly grinned as her natural curiosity took over. She took the bottle from Doc’s hands and went to the bar, grabbing a corkscrew from the cupboard. “Hello. I’m afraid we’re out of California white, but I found this nice chardonnay in the back. I hope it’s to your liking?”

Elizabeth breathed out in relief at seeing something other than rough cowboys. “That’s fine.” She watched as the young woman smiled brightly and uncorked the bottle, pouring two glasses.

“I’m Waverly Earp and I welcome you to Purgatory. What brings you to our quaint little town?” Waverly asked as she gently placed the glasses in front of the strangers.

Vincent eyed the woman as he took a sip from his glass. The wine was surprisingly good. “We came here looking for somebody.”

“Perhaps I can help. I grew up here and know everyone in town.” As always, Waverly was eager to help.

The doors to Shorty’s opened again and Nicole walked in, eager to get lunch with her girlfriend. The case she was working on was heavy on her mind. That’s why she hadn’t noticed the fancy car parked on the street, and not the people at the bar, until she was halfway across the room. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Mom? Dad?”

Waverly looked between the three of them. “Ohhh.” She now saw the family resemblance Doc had undoubtedly spotted.

Vincent stood. “Nikky,” he crossed the room in three long strides and enveloped the shellshocked Nicole in a hug. “It is so good to see you.”

Nicole took a shaking breath as her mother took a turn for a hug. “Yeah … Guys … How’d you … Find me?” She managed to wrap her arms around the slightly shorter woman.

“You didn’t make it easy, that’s true,” Vincent said, and Nicole could hear the disapproval in his tone as he made his way back to the bar.

Elizabeth guided Nicole with her by placing a hand in the small of her back. “Come now, you two. We can talk through this later. After we’ve gotten some rest. I’m sure you can point us in the direction of a hotel ...” she let the sentence trail off while glancing at Nicole.

It was Waverly who interfered. “Hotel? We don’t have that in Purgatory. The closest one is in the city, 45 minutes away.” They did have the murder motel, as it had come to be known after so many people had gotten killed there. Waverly felt like that wouldn’t go over well with the two people in front of her. “But they could stay with us, right Nicole? We have plenty of room.”

Nicole saw the confused look on her parent’s faces. “Waverly … is my girlfriend. We live together. I have a house.” The last part was added on a whim, a bit defensive. Feeling the need to show her parents that she’d managed to make something of herself, without their help.

Vincent rubbed his hands together. “Then that’s settled then. We’ll stay with you for the time being.” He finished his drink.

“Wait … What?” Nicole mumbled, her shocked brain just catching up with what was happening. “Now? I have to get back to the station.”

“Come on Nikky. I’m sure they can get along without an _officer_ for an hour or so.” The way Vincent emphasised the word officer showed his true feelings about his daughter’s career choice.

Waverly was still oblivious to the underlying tension. “Officer? No, Nicole is our Sheriff.” She beamed up at her girlfriend, sure that her parents would be just as proud of that as she was. Doc’s little cough made her look a little closer, noticing the paleness of Nicole’s skin.

Nicole swallowed. “Sure, dad. I’ll take you there so you can rest.” She figured it would be the quickest way to get rid of them for the moment so she could think. “Just follow my cruiser.” She turned and walked out of the bar, knowing her parents would be close behind her.

Waverly watched them go, her brows furrowed in worry. What was she missing?

“What do you know about Nicole’s folks?” Doc asked her, drying a glass with a rag in his hands.

Waverly just shook her head, realising she didn’t know much. It had always been a touchy subject. Now she might understand why.

 

* * *

 

Nicole took a deep breath as she watched the Lexus park behind her cruiser in front of her house. “Nic,” she told herself, gripping the steering wheel between her fingers. “You’re not sixteen anymore. You got this.” She got out of her cruiser and stepped onto the driveway, looking up at her house. She loved her little, two bedroom house, but now her eye was drawn to the chipped paint, the slightly askew porch and the mess that was her front garden. She had a town to protect, and that didn’t leave much time to get those things fixed. She glanced at her father. “This is it. Home sweet home,” she frowned at the slight tremble in her voice.

“It’s … charming, dear,” Elizabeth said before her husband could say anything else.

Shaking her head, Nicole led them to the front door and unlocked it, leading them all inside. CJ was sitting at the top of the stairs and eyed them from afar. “Don’t mind the cat. Calamity Jane isn’t very fond of strangers.” She wanted to add, especially men, but that wouldn’t go over well with her father.

Vincent dropped his suitcase in the middle of the room and looked around. At least the place was clean, that was something. He kept silent.

“Upstairs, there’s two bedrooms. The guest bedroom is the last in the hallway, next to the bathroom. There’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry,” Nicole was rambling, afraid of the silence permeating from her father. That never bode well. “I really need to get back to the station. You can reach me there, I guess … Oh, there’s a spare key to the house on the shelf there, if you need to leave. My shift is ‘till eight, if there are no emergencies.” Now truly out of things to say, she turned to leave, taking big strides.

Vincent watched her go and stopped her just before she reached the door. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find you after you … finally … started to use your trust fund?” He watched his daughter freeze. “What are you using it for anyway? Couldn’t be for this dump …”

“Vincent …” Elizabeth murmured, trying to hold off her husband’s temper. She knew her daughter could match it and didn’t want a shouting match on the first day they were reunited after nearly five years of complete radio silence.

“If you don’t like my place, feel free to leave.” Nicole kept her voice low. She had learned to reign in her temper. But if there was one person who could bring it back out, it was Vincent Haught. The hormones didn’t help either. “And it’s my money, I can do with it whatever I want.” When it was clear her father wouldn’t reply, except for a couple of huffs, she opened the door and left, almost running to her cruiser and speeding away.

She drove a couple of streets at high speed, before slowing down and pulling over all together. She lowered her forehead to rest on the steering wheel, her shoulders shaking, and focused on her breathing, recognizing the start of a full-blown panic attack.

This was her own fault. She should’ve known accessing her trust fund would draw attention. Finding out where she was would be easy then, even if she fled to another country. She didn’t expect they would show up in person, they never showed up in person anywhere.

But here they were, in Purgatory. Staying in her house. Her phone started to ring and Nicole took a deep breath, hoping she sounded in control of herself as she checked the caller. It was Waverly. “Hey, baby,” she answered, feeling her heart rate go down the minute she heard Waverly’s voice.

“Nicole? Are you ok? Where are you?” Waverly could still hear what was left of the tremble in Nicole’s voice.

A small smile formed on Nicole’s lips. “I’m ok, Waves. I promise. I’m in my cruiser, on my way back to the station.”

“Come by Shorty’s first. I’ll make you a chicken sandwich. No pickles.” Waverly wanted to see Nicole first, needing to make sure she was alright.

“How can I refuse that? A sandwich and the chance to stare at your beautiful smile.” Nicole grinned at the chuckle coming through. “I’ll be there in a few. Love you.” She disconnected and put her cruiser back in drive, pulling away from the curb.

Waverly placed her phone down on the counter and started to pull out sandwich fixings from the fridge. She put together Nicole’s favorite, thinking her girlfriend deserved it for once. Nicole ate mostly Vegan like Waverly did, but still enjoyed some meat once in a while. Waverly didn’t mind one bit, she loved Nicole for adapting her diet to match her own.

Ten minutes later, Waverly heard the door open and watched as Nicole dragged herself inside. She looked tired as she dropped down on the barstool. Waverly placed the sandwich in front of her, together with a shot of whiskey. When Nicole was about to protest, she stopped her. “I know you don’t usually drink in uniform, but this is an exception. You can use it.”

Nicole nodded and took the shot, downing it in one go and grimacing at the burn down her throat. “Thanks,” she murmured and started eating.

Waverly tried to stay quiet, wiping down the counter and rinsing some glasses, but by the time Nicole had finished the sandwich, she couldn’t hold it in any more. “I didn’t know they were your parents. I would have tried to warn you or something before you came in. But I didn’t even know what your parents look like … You don’t have any pictures ...”

“Waves,” Nicole interrupted, knowing Waverly would go on and on if she let her. “It’s ok. It was just a shock. I haven’t heard from them in five years.”

Waverly covered Nicole’s hands on the counter. “What happened between you guys? You never talk about them. Is it because you’re a lesbian?” That was the first reason that came to her mind.

Nicole huffed. “No … They never cared enough for that to be a problem.” She closed her eyes, willing away the memories of a disappointed teenager trying desperately to get some attention. “My dad’s a lawyer. A very high-profile one, obviously.” Her parents never hid their wealth, not even when coming to a backwater town like Purgatory. “And he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. You know about my uncle right? Who died in Bulshar’s massacre.” She glanced up at Waverly, seeing the compassion in her eyes. “Dad hoped that the fires and the death of his hippie brother would be enough to set me straight. No pun intended.” She took a breath, “He sent me off to boarding school and tried every program in the book to try and snuff out my rebellious streak.” Waverly had to chuckle at that, remembering Nicole’s story of her smoking behind the church on Sundays. “When that failed spectacularly, he just stopped caring. When I told him I signed up for the police academy, he threatened to disown me. I didn’t care and went anyway. I loved it. For the first time in my life I truly loved what I was doing. And I was good at it too.” She smirked proudly. “Top of my class.” Then her smile fell. “But my parents weren’t there when I graduated.”

“Nicole … I’m sorry. But it’s their loss they missed that moment, not yours.” Waverly cupped Nicole’s cheek, feeling her lean into it. “You are extraordinary, Nicole Haught.”

Nicole took comfort in the soft touch and finished her story. “I jumped at the opportunity to come here. Broke the little contact I still had with my parents and decided to prove that I didn’t need them. Or their money.”

Waverly frowned. “The money. That’s why they’re here isn’t it? That’s my fault, I’m so sorry!”

Nicole leaned forward over the bar and pulled Waverly close, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “We are trying to get a baby. Never apologise for that. I don’t care about that money and neither should they.” She kissed Waverly again, feeling the smaller woman sigh against her lips. “Speaking of babies, when’s our next doctor’s appointment?”

“Tomorrow at three. You need to be there to get your blood checked again.” Waverly hoped the hormone levels would be high enough so Nicole could stop with her shots. The side effects were getting worse and now with the whole parent fiasco brewing ... She hoped it wouldn’t blow up in their faces.  

“I’ll be there. But now I really need to get back to see if the station’s still standing.” Nicole gave Waverly a parting kiss.

“See you around, Sheriff.” Waverly watched as Nicole transformed back into Sheriff Haught. Tough, but caring. If not a little cocky. She smiled. God, that was still sexy.

 

* * *

 

Nicole got through the rest of the day trying not to think about her parents. She buried herself in paperwork, glad that Wynonna was handling two of her rookies on some domestic violence case. She knew the case. Jensen had a habit of drinking too much and screaming at his wife but it never really turned violent. It was a good opportunity to get the new officers some training. And Wynonna was a pretty good mentor, to everyone’s surprise. Mostly her own.

By the time the clock read eight, Nicole was praying for an emergency. She let her head drop to her desk and bounce a few times, before steeling herself to go and face the music. She left her office, locking it behind her and headed outside to her cruiser. She longingly glanced towards Shorty’s, knowing Waverly still had two more hours of her shift.

Taking the long way home, she used the time to think things through. She was an adult and there was nothing her parents could do to force her into anything. She belonged in Purgatory. Of that she was convinced. When she turned onto her street, her eyes widened at seeing Wynonna’s blue, beaten up pickup parked in the driveway. “Oh boy.” This would be good.

Part of her hoped the oldest Earp would have stayed in the car, but that went out the window as she heard the laughter coming from the house, mostly Wynonna’s. Bracing herself, she opened her front door and went inside. She blinked a couple of times at the sight that greeted her.

Her parents were seated on the couch, Wynonna between them, all holding tumblers, and Nicole’s expensive, single-malt whiskey sat on the coffee table.

“Nicole! Grab a glass. Come join us,” Wynonna called out. “Vinnie here was just explaining what he does for a living. It must be something good by the look  of that fancy rental car.” She completely ignored him correcting his name, as he had tried to do several times since the obnoxious woman entered the house.

“Vincent … And yes, I lead a law firm, mostly corporate law. Nikky can explain it further. She was once supposed to join the firm.” Vincent glared at his daughter.

Wynonna snorted, “Sheriff Haughtdamn a lawyer?!” She glanced up at Nicole who narrowed her eyes, daring her to say it. Wynonna downed her whiskey instead.

“Yes,” Vincent continued. “And she would have been a great one. Smart, witty, stubborn, a  go-getter. A true Haught.” He took a drink from his glass. “But I blame myself. And that lowlife brother of mine. I never should have allowed him contact. So young and you had already gotten corrupted by him.”

Nicole had to grab hold of the back of the couch to keep keep herself from going at him. “Uncle Robert was a good man. He didn’t deserve what happened to him!”

Elizabeth decided to intervene, seeing the way Nicole clenched her fists into the cushions of the couch. “No one is saying he deserved what happened. That was an unfortunate accident. Now please, sit down Nicole. We still haven’t gotten the chance to catch up.”

Blowing out a breath to calm herself down, Nicole took a seat on the ottoman, facing them. Her father looked annoyed, but that was nothing new. Her mother looked curious. Wynonna just looked amused. But Nicole was glad she was there, knowing she’d have her back if things went south. And they probably would. “So, what do you want to know? After graduating the academy, I worked as a beat cop for a while before getting the offer to come here. Started out as an officer, turned deputy and recently got promoted to sheriff. And I love it.”

“Tell us about … Waverly was it?” Elizabeth glanced to her side at the woman in leather looking very relaxed on the couch. “And you’re the sister, Wynonna?”

Wynonna reached for the bottle and refilled her glass. “Wynonna Earp. I’m Haught’s deputy. Best sheriff I’ve ever worked for.” Also the only sheriff she ever worked for since she wasn’t really a cop, but they didn’t need to know that. She didn’t miss the grateful nod Nicole send her way.

“Waverly is my girlfriend. We’ve been together for about three years now. She’s an amazing person.” Nicole said while looking her mother straight in the eye. “She’s the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.” Taking a deep breath, she decided to tell the whole truth, knowing that Wynonna was already in the loop. “In fact, she’s why I started using my trust fund. We’re trying to have a baby.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Nicole watched as her father put down his glass and stared at her. “So you’ve got yourself a gold digger?” he said.

“No, dad!! It’s called IVF and those procedures cost a lot of money.” Nicole saw her mother flinch and reach for Vincent.

“I worked hard so I would be able to set up your fund. So you could be free to study and begin your professional life. So you could make something out of yourself. And now you tell me that you not only picked a career far beneath you and choose to live your life in sin, you’re using _my_ money to bring something unnatural into this world?” The low tone of Vincent’s words made Nicole collapse into herself, remembering other times when he used it to tear into her.

Wynonna noticed it immediately. “Dude! Not cool.” She got up and stood next to Nicole. “Your daughter is one of the bravest, most loyal people I know. She’s so utterly good it sometimes makes me want to puke.” Nicole nudged her with her shoulder at that. “Point being, your daughter is happy. My sister is a big part of making her happy. And they’ll both be great parents. Even if neither of them had good examples.” The last dig was intentional and Vincent scowled in response. She was about to continue tearing into the man when she felt a hand on her leg.

Nicole stood and took a shaky breath. “Mom, Dad. I’m 27 years old. You can’t tell me what I can or can’t do. Honestly, you never could. I never listened. I’m happy with my life and how I lead it. I don’t need you in it. I needed you when I was a child. When I was a confused teenager. Not anymore. I will use what I need from my trust fund. You can take back what’s left.” She paused for a moment. “I won’t kick you out of my house at this hour. But I want you gone by morning. I don’t want anything more to do with you.” Giving her parents a last look, trying to ignore the tears pooling in her mother’s eyes, she walked past them outside, hoping no one noticed the tears forming in her own eyes.

“What she said,” Wynonna added, mildly in shock. She reached over to the table and grabbed the bottle of scotch, taking it with her as she followed Nicole outside. “Hey Haught!” she called out as Nicole slammed the door of her cruiser. She pulled open the passenger side and jumped in, taking in her friend’s look. Nicole’s hands clenched he steering wheel hard, the leather creaking beneath her fingers and she stared straight ahead. “You ok to drive?” Nicole nodded and turned the ignition, puting the car in gear and pulling away. After a couple of minutes she let out a sob. “Pull over,” Wynonna said softly, relieved when Nicole complied. The redhead started to tremble and Wynonna moved closer, pulling Nicole’s head down to her shoulder as she started to cry.

The sobs came from deep within Nicole’s chest and Wynonna knew this was about more than just the conversation tonight. These were feelings that had been long buried and now dredged up. Poor Nicole.

Long minutes passed with Wynonna comforting Nicole until the sobs finally eased. “I’m sorry,” Nicole muttered into Wynona’s shirt as she sniffed and tried to get herself together. “Hormones.” She sat back in her seat and rubbed at her face

“Yeah, those buggers suck huh?” Wynonna gave Nicole a few moments in peace. “I texted Waves to meet us at the homestead.”

“Please don’t tell her anything,” Nicole pleaded, knowing Waverly would be overly concerned.

Wynonna shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she already knows your parents are assholes. Why else would she have asked me to pass by your house before going home ... Hey! Now we finally have something in common, both our dads are jerks! Leave it to Waverly to get the angel.” She grinned at the bark of laughter that escaped Nicole.

“You are something else, you know that, Wynonna?” Nicole shook her head. “Thanks for having my back there.”

“Anytime Red, anytime.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first scene contains a bit of smut. If that's not your cup of tea, just skip it.
> 
> Let it be noted that I just love WynHaught Brotp. I love writing them and hope I do them justice.
> 
> As always, thanks to Rebellion_Bear or the cleanup!

Waverly paced around the living room, her phone to her ear as she waited for the test results. Nicole sat on the couch, her foot hopping nervously. She felt a lot better now that the hormone treatment was behind her, hopefully anyway.  

“Ok, thank you doctor.” Waverly shut down the phone and looked at Nicole, smiling brightly. “The doctor says your bloodwork is excellent and the scans show an abundance of eggs in both ovaries. So she would like us to go in for the retrieval procedure.” She crawled into Nicole’s lap. “Then three days later, we go back for the implantation and maybe,” she kissed Nicole, “just maybe, we’ll have a baby in about nine months.” 

Nicole grinned against her lips. “When does she need me to go in? I have to see if Wynonna can cover for me.” She’d be out for at least a day.

“Tomorrow … And I’m sure Wynonna will be thrilled she can boss everyone around again.” Waverly let her lips slide down Nicole’s jaw, her teeth snagging on the tender skin of her throat. 

Nicole gasped. “God, Waves … What do you do to me?” She let out a loud moan when teeth nipped at her collarbone. It was still a wonder how quickly the petite brunette could put her body into overdrive.

Waverly snaked a hand down Nicole’s front, slipping it down and into the yoga pants. She bit her lip to hold in a groan of her own at the wetness she encountered, her fingers slipping into velvet heat. She kissed Nicole, her tongue plunging into her mouth and swallowing her cries. Then she pulled her hand back, ignoring Nicole’s mew of displeasure, and sank down to her knees between long legs. She pulled off Nicole’s pants, taking her ruined underwear with them, and grabbed her ass, pulling her closer to the edge of the couch. Looking up into dark, hooded eyes, she went for her prize, burying her tongue deep between Nicole’s folds.

Nicole inhaled sharply, letting her head fall back and tangled her fingers into Waverly’s hair to hold her in place as she felt herself soar higher and higher until she couldn’t go anymore and she crashed down, trembling and moaning Waverly’s name. Waverly kept going, her tongue lazily following intimate paths. “Come here you,” Nicole whispered, her voice lost for a moment, and pulled Waverly back into her lap. “You are amazing, you know that?” 

Waverly licked her lips and took one of Nicole’s hands, bringing her index finger to her lips and Nicole felt her breath hitch again when Waverly’s tongue snuck out to lick her finger right before that finger disappeared between those lush, kiss-swollen lips, a second one close behind. Nicole let out a groan when Waverly started to suck on her fingers in time with the motion of her hips, making her intentions clear. Waverly let Nicole’s fingers slip from her mouth with a loud pop and Nicole trailed them underneath Waverly’s jaw, leading her mouth to hers. She locked their lips together as her hand went down further, underneath Waverly’s skirt, playing with the lines of soaking wet panties. 

“Nicole, please,” Waverly breathed as she lifted her body to give Nicole enough room to move, holding onto strong shoulders. She gasped when long fingers pushed aside her panties to dip into her heat. Nicole gently inserted one finger, quickly adding another when she felt Waverly wanted more. She peppered Waverly’s neck with wet kisses, licking at that soft skin, while Waverly rode her. When she felt Waverly’s walls start to tighten, she added her thumb to Waverly’s clit and curled her fingers just right, hurtling the younger woman over the edge, groaning low in her throat. 

Waverly recaptured Nicole’s lips and kissed her deep, enjoying the mild tremors still coursing through her body. “Mmmm … And you call me amazing,” she said when Nicole pulled her hand free. She chuckled, “Look at us, going at it like a couple of teenagers. We might not be able to do this anymore soon.” 

“Not on the couch maybe, no … But we have a perfectly good bed upstairs.” Nicole waggled her eyebrows, coaxing another laugh out of Waverly. With a huff, she stood, taking Waverly with her, and carried her upstairs. No better time than the present to start getting used to having sex there.

 

* * *

 

“Haught! Waves!”

Nicole grumbled when she heard Wynonna yell downstairs. She snuggled deeper into the warm body below her.

“Why are there underpants on your living room floor? Wait! Don’t answer that! I don’t want to know!”

Waverly chuckled and nudged Nicole, who groaned and tried to hide underneath her pillow. “You know she’ll just barge in here if we try to ignore her.” 

“Let her,” Nicole grumbled. “Maybe the sight of my naked ass will scare her off.” 

“Well, she always calls it a Haughtass. Top shelf! She might decide to stay.” Waverly singsonged the last part, grinning like a cheshire cat when sleepy brown eyes peeked from beneath the pillow. 

“Haught?! I’m coming up there!” Wynonna stomped her feet on the first step.

Dragging herself up to her knees, Nicole called back. “Fine! But your sister’s here, equally naked!” 

“Ugh, no thank you! Just get your butt down here!” Wynonna grinned, clearly enjoying the banter, yet relieved she didn’t really need to go up there. There was only so much she wanted to know about her sister’s sex life. “Preferably clothed!” Proud of herself for thinking to add that last part, she went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and raid the fridge.

Five minutes later, Nicole and Waverly made their way down the stairs, yawning. Wynonna burst out laughing. “You two look like shit. Maybe it’s time you acknowledge the fact that you’re not teenagers anymore. You can’t party all night without facing the consequences in the morning.”

“It’s 5AM!” Nicole grumbled and went to the coffee maker, pouring three cups of the strong black sludge Wynonna concocted. “Why are you here at 5AM? Hell, how are you even up at 5AM?” It wasn’t like Wynonna to be up before noon.

“Got a call from Jesse. There’s been a break-in at the general market.” Wynonna frowned, “One casualty, the night guard.” 

“Shit,” Nicole cursed. Max was a good man, only a year or so away from retirement. “Jesse’s at the scene?” Jesse James was the most promising of the new batch of officers. He was still young, but had a good head on his shoulders.

Wynonna nodded. “He deemed it wise to call it in and wait for backup. Rory should be there by now too.” Rory was another new recruit. Christopher Rory was supposed to become a star football player until he injured his knee in an accident. His father gave him the choice to become a cop or join the army. He was built like a linebacker, with the attitude to match, and didn’t like taking orders from a woman. Needless to say, Nicole didn’t like him very much. 

“You have an appointment at 11,” Waverly gently reminded her girlfriend, already knowing Nicole would be out the door in a few minutes. 

“I know, baby. I’ll be there. But I have to go.” Nicole took Waverly’s hand and brought it to her lips, placing a soft kiss on the top. “Help me with my uniform?” she asked sweetly, turning them both back towards the staircase while casually flipping off Wynonna who pretended to barf. 

 

* * *

 

“Hear anything from your folks?” Wynonna asked while she watched Nicole expertly maneuver her cruiser through the dark streets of Purgatory.

“Nope. They went like I told them to and I haven’t heard from them since.” Nicole was relieved, even if a part of her remembered the tears filling her mother’s eyes. She and Waverly had spent that night at the homestead, Wynonna graciously relinquishing her bed to them. Nicole had the sneaking suspicion she spent the night with Doc. But as long as Wynonna didn’t bring it up, neither would she. 

The blue lights lighting up the sky made Nicole focus on the case again. “We’re here.” She parked her cruiser next to the one already there and the two of them stepped out. They found Jesse by the door. 

“Sheriff, Deputy Earp.” The young man greeted them and led them inside. “It’s not pretty.”

Nicole glanced to her side at Wynonna, giving her a grim look. Things that weren’t pretty usually had demon written all over them. “Was there anything stolen?”

Not at first sight,” Jesse answered in confusion. “Who would break into a store and not steal anything?” 

“Maybe they were interrupted? By Max?” Wynonna wondered.

Jesse frowned. “You won’t ask that again once you see the state they left mister Morgan in.” He went through to the back of the building, where another officer was crouching down. “Hey Rory. Sheriff’s here.” The other man stood immediately and stretched out to his full height. He was slightly taller than Nicole and always made sure to take full advantage of that. 

Wynonna rolled her eyes at the macho move and stepped past him. She’d eat boys like that for breakfast. “Holy shitballs!” 

The exclamation made Nicole speed up her step to take a look and she felt her stomach recoil. Max, a strong proud man at his age, was mutilated almost beyond recognition. 

“What could do that, Sheriff?” 

Not answering Jesse’s question, Nicole went closer, taking a good look at the wounds. “We’ll have to wait for the coroner for it to be official, but I’d say: shotgun. See the fringes surrounding that head wound? Points to a large gauge. Probably sawed off.”

Jesse nodded, “And the other wounds? That doesn’t look like buckshot.”

Nicole shrugged. “Coyotes? Not the first time they venture inside for an easy snack.” Wynonna tried to stop the snort before it escaped her, but failed and got a look from Nicole. The sheriff turned back to the officers. “Jesse, secure the area. I’ll call Jeremy in to start gathering evidence. Rory?” She waited until the man looked at her, a glint in his eyes that made her scream internally. “Go outside and talk to the neighbors. Check if anyone saw or heard anything.” Rory dipped his head and turned briskly, walking away from the scene. 

“I really hate that guy,” Wynonna mumbled, voicing what they all were thinking. 

“Wynonna,” Nicole shook her head. “Just stick close to him will you? Don’t let him insult anyone. Especially if they’re female.” Giving her a mock salute, Wynonna stepped outside. 

Jesse pretended not to notice, but he was secretly glad to get rid of his partner for a while. 

Nicole watched him work for a moment before moving away to call Jeremy in, needing to inform him about the, quote unquote coyotes. She couldn’t understand how people kept believing that.

 

* * *

  
  


Waverly trailed her thumb over Nicole’s knuckles absently as she sat next to the hospital bed, waiting for her love to wake up from general anesthesia. She was paging through a magazine when Nicole started stirring. “Hey baby,” she muttered as she watched Nicole’s eyelids flutter open. 

Nicole smiled when she spotted Waverly and took a deep, relaxed breath. “Everything go ok?”

Waverly nodded and moved closer, placing a soft kiss on Nicole’s lips. The redhead was still drowsy, as Waverly knew she would be. The procedure only took about 30 minutes, but even the mild anesthesia hit Nicole hard. Waverly found it adorable, if not a bit strange as Nicole could hold her liquor better than even her sister could. “We have an appointment for the insemination in three days.” She moved back for a second kiss. “If you’re ready for it, Sheriff Haught.”

“Mmmm ...  you bet I am, love. When can I go home?” Nicole tried to sit up and found that the room stopped spinning after a few seconds. 

Waverly laughed, “As soon as you can stand without toppling over. Shouldn’t be too long.” Nicole leaned back against her pillow. “Oh, and Wynonna called to say they have everything under control. She did ask if you’d cover for her if she accidentally shoots Chris Rory.” 

With a groan, Nicole covered her face. She didn’t want to know what Rory had gotten himself into now. “She might need to stand in line. I swear I’m so going to fire his ass one of these days. That man is not set out to be a cop.” 

“Poor baby,” Waverly said with a smile. “Come on, let’s try and see if you can sit up to get you dressed.” She helped Nicole push herself up, glad to see that she didn’t waver, and took her clothes, helping Nicole dress in a sweater and some loose track pants. She left the room to fetch the obligatory wheelchair.

Nicole only protested mildly as she took a seat in the chair, not really sure if she could make it to the car on her own. 

“Let’s go home, baby.”

 

* * *

 

The next day, Nicole walked into the precinct bright and early, back to her usual self. She greeted Sara at the front desk with a tip of her stetson and made her way inside. Looking around the still empty station, she smiled to herself and revelled in the quiet. She liked to get here before anyone else. Besides Sara anyway, the elder woman seemed to always be there manning the desk. She made her way into her office and hung her coat and stetson on the hook by the door before sitting down behind her desk. She took the files left by Jeremy and started going through Max Morgan’s autopsy report.

Her eyebrows rose higher and higher as she continued reading. Jeremy was convinced he knew what killed Max … and it wasn’t good news. “What the hell is a Daeva?” she wondered out loud.

 

* * *

 

“A Daeva is a demon raised by a warlock to bring forth revenge.” Jeremy hung several pictures on the whiteboard, each picturing a demonesque woman with wings, horns and really long talons on its fingers. He looked around the table. Wynonna sat back with her feet on the table, munching on a doughnut and Nicole stared at the pictures in mild shock.

“She’s usually depicted as a hot chick,” Jeremy added. “Not that I know anything about hot chicks.” 

Wynonna sniggered at that, making Nicole shake her head. “Enough, Wynonna.” She turned back to Jeremy. “How are you so sure it was a Daeva that killed Max?”

Jeremy pointed at the demon's claws. “Because of these. They rip their victims to shreds. But that's not exclusive as many demons do that. It's also the huge hole in his head. Looked like a shotgun blew Max’s brains out, but it was actually the Daeva sucking his brains out with their tentacle like tongue.” He was telling it so graphically it made the two women grimace.

“I can't say which one is worse,” Wynonna mentioned.

Nicole made some notes on the file. “So this demon can only be called by a warlock? Then we have to figure out who this warlock is.” She picked up Max’s file. “Who would want to take revenge on this guy? He never hurt a fly, doesn’t even have a parking ticket to his name.” 

Shrugging, Wynonna put her feet back down and leaned forward. “Maybe he just had a very tasty brain.”

Nicole groaned and eyed her deputy and the grin on her face. “Seriously, why do I invite you to these meetings?”

“Cause I'm the chick with the big ass gun,” Wynonna scrunched her nose, remembering that Peacemaker was no longer a gun. “Big ass sword?”

Shaking her head at Wynonna's antics, Nicole brought their attention back to the case. “Maybe there’s a way to track this warlock? Can’t be too many of those around, right?”

Jeremy nodded. “Known warlocks are rare, but the trait is passed through from father to son and many of them stay silent. These days, I bet many don’t even know that they are one.”  He thought it over for a moment. “I can start by looking for known warlocks in Purgatory in the last 100 years or so and work my way though their descendants.” 

“Good idea. Ask Waverly to help you when she’s not needed at Shorty’s.” Nicole knew that with Gus back in town and back behind the bar, Waverly wasn’t needed there as much. 

“Ask Waverly what?” 

Nicole looked at the door and smiled when her girlfriend walked in. “To help Jeremy with some research.” She leaned her head back and accepted the kiss Waverly placed on her lips. 

Waverly looked up at the whiteboard. “Why are there naked ladies on the board? Trying to make this place look like the fire station?”

“Sheriff Really Haught here was getting her kicks on,” Wynonna quipped. Nicole shot her a look. “What? You’re the only one out of us three who digs chicks.” 

Waverly chuckled at the banter between Nicole and her sister. “I’d love to help, Jer. Fill me in.”

Jeremy blinked nervously. “Uh, sure. If you have the time. But don’t overdo it on the work. I can totally handle if if you need to rest.”

“Why?” Waverly was confused. “What’s going on, Jer?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Looking from Waverly to Nicole, who glanced back in amusement, Jeremy stuttered. “Aren’t you … you know … Trying to get pregnant? I mean, with Nicole biting everyone’s head off for weeks, I just assumed she was on hormones. And she was in the hospital yesterday. And there’s another appointment in the sheriff’s agenda in two days. So I just assumed …” 

Waverly walked over to Jeremy and stopped his ramble with a hug. They always seem to forget how perceptive Jeremy was. “It’s true. But it’s going to be a while still before I have to start taking it easy. We’re not even sure if it’ll take.” 

“For what it’s worth, I think the both of you will be great moms.” Jeremy smiled at his best friend before looking at Nicole. “And with the kid having your genes, they’ll be strong, brave and petty hot.” His eyes widened as he realised he said that last part out loud.

Wynonna slapped her hands on the table. “And with me as an aunt, it’ll be badass … Now can we please stop with the mushy stuff and call it a day? I’d like to tuck Alice in tonight.” After getting the ok from Nicole, Wynonna stepped out of the room, “Later bitches!” 

“She’s spending too much time with Mercedes,” Nicole mentioned, making the rest of them laugh. 

“Ready to go home, babe?” Waverly asked and Nicole nodded. 

Nicole turned to Jeremy, “You ok with locking down?”

“Sure. I’ll finish up here first. See you tomorrow!” Jeremy watched as Nicole took Waverly by the hand and led her to her office to collect her things. He smiled and shook his head. He enjoyed being somewhat of an uncle to Alice and doing some light babysitting, and he couldn’t wait to see some little gingers running around to join their crazy family. 

 

* * *

 

“Are you ready, Miss Earp?” The gynecologist asked from her perch between the stirrups holding Waverly’s legs.

Waverly looked to her side at Nicole and beamed up at the bright smile on the redhead’s face. She glanced at the doctor. “Yes, I am.” She looked back at Nicole and squeezed her hand when she felt the doctor work. It wasn’t painful, just very uncomfortable. 

A couple of minutes later, the doctor sat back. “There you go, all done.” She smiled up at the happy couple. “I’ll leave you to get dressed.” She stood and left the room.

Waverly removed her legs from the stirrups and held onto Nicole who helped her sit up. “We did it. We really did it.” She took Nicole’s hand and laid it down on her stomach. “There could be a little Haught growing in there.”

“A Haught-Earp. I want our kid to have both our names.” 

Reaching up, Waverly tangled her fingers in Nicole’s hair and locked their lips together.

 

* * *

 

The next week passed quickly and without anything notable happening. Their investigation had come to a standstill, with Jeremy and Waverly only managing to identify four possible warlock families, with no descendants showing any signs of using magic. Nicole went to talk with Getta Perley, the witch who’d helped her before, but even she didn’t know of any practitioning warlocks around. Max’s family wanted answers. Hell, the mayor wanted answers badly enough he was sticking Bunny Loblaw on the case. Which is how Nicole found herself with a very unwelcome visitor in her office one afternoon ...

“How is it that even with your heightened budget, that I voted against if you must know …” Bunny started, ignoring Nicole muttering that she really didn’t need to know that. “You still haven’t solved the murder of mister Morgan.” She stared down her nose at the redhead sitting in the sheriff’s chair. If she had her way, that wouldn’t be for long. She didn’t let Nicole speak, pushing her way through the rest of her tirade. “And that poor boy, Christopher Rory, came by to complain that he’s not being treated fair. You know he is the son of Howard Rory? His family dates back to one of the original settlers of Purgatory.” 

Nicole held up her hand at that. “I assure you, councilmember, Rory is treated the same as any other rookie on this force. Yes, they do the grunt work but that’s how they learn.” Bunny huffed and Nicole could feel another headache start. “And as for the Morgan case, we’re using every resource we’ve got to work the case. Now if you can please excuse me, I have a personal matter to attend to.”

Bunny got up from her chair and lifted a menacing finger. “You better start showing some results, Sheriff Haught. Or I might convince the rest of the council to put someone else in that seat!” With that, she stormed out of the office, almost slamming into Jesse on the way out. 

“Wow, what was the rush there?” the young man jokes. He fell silent as he saw Nicole banging her head on her desk. “Everything ok, Sheriff?”

Lifting her head, Nicole shrugged. “Just Bunny … I could do without that woman.” She stood and took her coat and hat, ready to leave. “Can you manage the fort for a short while? Waverly called that she needed me home.” And that was half an hour ago, before Bunny’s impromptu visit.

“Sure thing, boss. Deputy Earp is in Shorty’s I believe. I can call her in if somethings goes awry.” 

Giving her officer a thankful nod, Nicole rushed out of the door and used her sirens to get home. Who would give her a ticket anyway?

“Waves?” Nicole called out when she opened the door to their house. Not getting an answer, she closed the door behind her and made her way into the living room, spotting the brunette on the couch. “Hey Waves, sorry it took so long. Had a visit from Bunny Loblaw …” she rounded the couch and fell silent when she saw the tear tracks on Waverly’s cheeks. She rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of Waverly. “Baby? What’s wrong?” Only then did she see that Waverly was clutching her phone in her hands.

“I got a call from the doctor. With the test results,” Waverly said in a monotone voice before she looked at Nicole, more tears spilling free. “It didn’t work.” 

“Oh, baby,” Nicole pulled Waverly into her chest, holding her as she cried and cursing Bunny Fucking Loblaw for delaying her. She sat down on the couch and let Waverly burrow into her lap, feeling her uniform shirt grow wet from the tears. “Shhhh… I’ve got you, Waves,” she tried to soothe her. When the sobbing eased, she gently lifted Waverly’s eyes to meet her own. 

Waverly twisted away from the caress. “How can you be so nice?” she wondered.

Nicole tried again and used her thumb to wipe at the tears. “How could I not? It’s going to be ok, Waverly. Look at me,” Waverly brought her eyes back to meet Nicole’s. “We’ll just try again, ok? It’ll work next time, I’m sure of it.” 

Waverly sniffed and took a calming breath. She leaned her forehead against Nicole’s. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just … I feel like this is my fault.” 

“It’s no one’s fault. These things just happen.” Nicole caressed Waverly’s back and felt her relax into her touch. “We’ll make another appointment and try again.” 

Waverly nodded and let out a deep sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks or reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for the kudos and the comments. Each and every one make my day!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the next instalment of this story. I expanded it with another chapter. So it will be six chapters in total. 
> 
> Thanks to Rebellion_Bear for the Beta!

They waited for one month before trying a second round of IVF, as the doctor had advised, this time implanting two previously frozen eggs. The chances of them surviving had gone down to 50 percent, but they didn’t lose hope. 

Nicole sat propped up against the headboard of their bed, running her fingers through Waverly’s lush hair. Waverly let out a breath in contentment, letting her eyes fall shut for a moment. They basked in each other, needing the quiet moment in their busy lives. They had just gotten home from the hospital and Waverly knew Nicole was supposed to get back to the station soon.

“I think this is the one,” Waverly said as she brought her hand to lay on her stomach. “I can feel it.” 

Nicole smiled and covered Waverly’s hand with her own. “Yeah?” She nudged her nose behind Waverly’s ear, making her giggle. “You know,” Nicole whispered, letting her breath wash over Waverly’s ear. “When you were getting dressed, I asked the doctor how she stood on having intercourse after implantation. I know there are several people online voicing against it, and we did wait last time, but our doctor actually encourages it. Says having an orgasm can help the embryo to settle in.”

Waverly shivered and turned around, stradling Nicole and draping her arms across strong shoulders. “Is that so, Sheriff Haught?”

“Yep. I mean, she did warn about vaginal soreness, but I think she was pretty confident I could work my way around that,” Nicole said, a cocky grin finding its way on her face. 

“Shouldn’t you be getting back?” Waverly placed a kiss on Nicole’s nose. “Keeping our town safe from criminals, demons and human alike?” 

Letting out a small growl, Nicole took hold of Waverly and turned them over, her body hovering over the smaller brunette. “Wynonna can handle anything they throw her way for a couple of hours longer. Right now, I have to keep  _ you  _ safe. And make sure we give the little bean the best of chances to start its life.” 

Waverly’s fingers weaved themselves into Nicole’s hair, not so gently, and she pulled her down on top of her, reclaiming her lips.

 

* * *

 

They tried not to think about it too much during the next two weeks, digging into work. 

“Waves? I’m home!” Nicole called out, shutting the door behind her. She was absolutely knackered, having not slept a full 6 hours in one go for the last week. A series of burglaries kept her and her officers busy during the days and most nights. They caught the culprits in the end. It was a band of travelling criminals, going from town to town to steal as much as they could before moving on. The arrest earned Nicole a commendation from the mayor, much to Bunny Loblaw’s annoyance.

Waverly poked her head into the hallway, smiling when she saw her girlfriend tiredly toeing off her boots. “You’re home early.” She stepped towards her and helped Nicole with her jacket, earning her a murmured thanks.

“I sent the others home an hour ago and tried to get started on the paperwork. Then I realized the paperwork would still be there in the morning.” Nicole turned towards Waverly and draped her arms on the shorter woman’s shoulders. “I haven’t properly seen you in a week.” She yawned, brining a hand up to cover her face. “And I think I need to catch up on some sleep.” She rested her forehead against Waverly’s.

Taking Nicole’s hand, Waverly pulled her into the kitchen and into a chair. “Poor baby.” She turned to check something in the oven and Nicole felt her mouth water at the smell. 

“Waverly, that smells devine.” Nicole’s stomach growled in response.

Waverly chuckled. “Vegetable lasagna.” Which happened to be one of Nicole’s favorites, after chicken sandwiches. She bit her lip and sucked in a breath, taking a box from the counter. “But I have something for you first.” 

Nicole frowned as she took the box, seeing how nervous her girlfriend was looking. “Waves? What is it?”

“Just open the damn box, Haught.” Waverly had a small smile on her face.

Nicole slipped open the lid and looked inside, feeling her heart beat a mile a minute when she saw four plastic items inside, each with either a cross or a double bar displayed on them. Her eyes widened when she looked up at Waverly. “Does this mean …”

Waverly nodded, “The doctor called this afternoon. I went out and bought every brand of pregnancy test the general store had in stock … just to be sure.” She pointed at the box. “They all came back positive.”

With a cry of joy, Nicole laughed herself out of her chair and to Waverly, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around. Then Nicole dropped down on her knees and engulfed Waverly in an embrace, resting her cheek against Waverly’s stomach. “We’re having a baby.” 

Waverly trailed her fingers through red hair, holding Nicole close against her. “We’re having a baby,” she repeated.

 

* * *

 

They hadn’t planned on telling anyone until the first few crucial weeks had passed, but that plan went down the drain one Sunday morning at family brunch when Waverly went pale at the smell of frying eggs, pancakes and vegan bacon and had to rush into the bathroom. Nicole winced before following her, at the amused looks from the rest of the family. 

“Must have been something I ate,” Waverly mumbled when she rejoined the group at the table. She was still pale as Nicole helped her into the chair before sitting down, her hand not leaving Waverly. 

Gus placed a cup of fragrant herbal tea in front of Waverly. “No more coffee for you,” the elder woman said with a soft and knowing smile. 

Both Waverly and Nicole stared at Gus and then at Wynonna when they heard her gasp, finally figuring it out. 

“Haughtdamn!” Wynonna jumped out of her chair. “You guys did it?!” She ran over to the two, looping her arms around their necks to pull them both into a hug. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Waverly had told her about their first failed attempt and she’d held her sister when she cried. She knew Nicole was pretty down about it as well, but the sheriff remained stoic and a little distant. Wynonna had hoped they would try again soon and was ecstatic it worked.

Nicole gave her an affectionate pat on the back. “We only just found out. Wanted to wait a little longer, you know. To be absolutely sure.”

Wynonna placed a kiss on top of Waverly’s head. “Congratulations, baby girl.” She squeezed her arm around Nicole’s neck a little tighter. “You too, Sheriff Really Haught.” She looked down when she felt Alice pull at her shirt and look up at her with confused little eyes. Kneeling down, she scooped up her daughter. “Aunty Waverly is going to have a baby.” Alice looked at her aunt and climbed into her lap. She muttered something that could be ‘baby’ and leaned her head against Waverly’s shoulder, feeling safe and content when her aunt held her close.

 

* * *

 

“I hear congratulations are in order, Sheriff Haught.”

Nicole looked up from her desk at Kate’s voice and saw the dark vampire stand in her doorway. “Thank you, Kate. What brings you to my office?” She gave her the invitation to enter a while ago, but Kate was not one to use it often. In fact, Nicole hadn’t heard much from the vampire, except that she’d been on her best behaviour so far. Mercedes must be keeping her in line. 

Kate grinned down at Nicole and sauntered inside, taking a seat. “I heard you visited the towns resident witch about a warlock problem?” 

“About two months ago. We found a body that was most likely killed by a Daeva. We’re trying to find the one who it answers to.” Nicole was frustrated with the case that was quickly going cold.

Kate hissed through puckered lips, her demon side revelling in the thought of death and blood. “Daeva’s don’t answer to anyone. Two months, you say … Then it won’t be long before you find another body. See, Daeva’s can’t really be controlled. They need to feed. They are demons of seduction and lust. Family of the succubus, but even deadlier. This warlock you seek will have set it free from hell, but when it gets hungry, there is no stopping it. If it’s not pointed toward a target, the Daeva will find one on its own.”

Nicole thought it over for a moment. “So trying to find the warlock is a waste of time?” 

“I wouldn’t say a waste. Just not a priority.” 

Sitting back in her chair, Nicole gazed at Kate wondering why the vampire came to her with that information. “Why are you here, Kate? You don’t owe me anything.”

“My cards told me to, why else?” Kate smiled mysteriously. “And then there is Mercedes. I think she’s making me go soft.” She wasn’t so sure she minded, with Mercedes providing her blood from the hospital’s transfusion centre. Via a friend of a friend of a friend ...

Nicole narrowed her eyes. “I take it miss Gardner remains safe with you? No glamouring or anything?”

That made Kate chuckle to herself. “Oh I tried, sheriff, I tried.” Mercedes just slapped her and told her to get her shit together. Such a strong personality. Letting out a deep sigh, Kate gazed at Nicole, looking more vulnerable than the redhead had ever seen her. “She calls to a part of me I thought was long dead.” She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, the vulnerability was gone. 

Nicole realised what it took for the vampire to show that part of herself. “Thank you, Kate.” She stood and held out her hand. Kate smirked and did the same, taking Nicole’s hand in a warm, friendly handshake. “If there's anything I can do for you, just call. Day or night.” That’s what friends do. 

Kate understood the unspoken part and nodded in thanks. This sheriff was a good ally to have. She turned back and readied to leave. She stopped herself at the door and glanced back at Nicole, trying out this friendship thing. “How ... How is Waverly?”

Nicole gave her a bright smile. “Waverly’s great. In fact, we have our first ultrasound scheduled this afternoon. Thanks for asking.”

Kate dipped her head and disappeared through the door. Maybe this friendship thing wasn’t too hard.”

 

* * *

  
  


Wynonna and Waverly were walking to their car, each holding one of Alice’s hands as the little girl took turns walking and swinging between them. They were heading home after having lunch with Doc and Gus at Shorty’s. Lunch was filled with talk and questions about Waverly’s gynecologist appointment later that day, everyone just as excited as Waverly herself was. Only Wynonna was a bit silent through the meal and Waverly was wondering why.

Now that they were alone, Waverly confronted her sister. “Are you alright, Wynonna? You didn’t utter one sarcastic comment all through the meal.”

“Of course I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be fine?” Wynonna said too quickly and too sparkly for Waverly to buy one word of it. She rolled her eyes when Waverly gave her a look. She fished her keys out of the pockets of her leather jacket and unlocked her truck. She heaved her daughter into the car-seat, kissing the girl on the nose to make her laugh, as she buckled her up. Then she turned back to Waverly. “It’s just … I missed that, you know. I was asleep for the first part of my pregnancy.” She sighed when Waverly placed a hand on her arm. “I missed those first ultrasounds. Even skipped out on morning-sickness.”

“You’re not missing out much in that department,” Waverly assured her, having spent not just mornings but most of the days throwing up. It was getting better though, now mostly being a constant queasiness the doctor assured her should get better with time. “Hey, why don’t you join us this afternoon? I know it’s not the same but …” 

Wynonna shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude. That’s a moment between you and Red.”

“Nicole won’t mind. And I would like to have my sister there.” Waverly was convinced her girlfriend wouldn’t mind. She loved Wynonna, even if they butted heads pretty often. Or maybe just because of it. “I’m sure Gus won’t mind watching Alice.”

“Yeah? You sure? ’Cause Red is technically my boss and I don’t want to get on her bad side.”

That made Waverly laugh. “Since when do you care about that?” 

Grinning cheekily, Wynonna turned back to her daughter. “Hey squirt, want to hang out with aunt Gus for the rest of the day?” The big smile on Alice’s face was answer enough and Wynonna started to unbuckle the straps again. 

Waverly took her phone. “I’ll call Nicole to pick us up at Shorty’s.” 

 

* * *

  
  


It turned out Nicole didn’t mind at all as she picked up both Earp sisters for their trip to the hospital. She did wind up regretting it just a little bit when Wynonna appeared to be a nightmare to keep still in the waiting room and wondered if this was a test to see if they could handle kids. She jumped up from her seat when the doctor called out her name. “Hey, Dr. Anders. Waverly brought her sister.” She pointed at Wynonna, who sat on a chair paging through a children’s book.”

The doctor chuckled. “That not a problem. Come on in.” 

Waverly shook her head when Wynonna muttered “finally” before dramatically putting down the book and heaving herself to her feet. It didn’t help that she had been sitting on one of the low child seats.

‘Don’t worry, Doc. She’s house trained and everything,” Waverly mentioned in passing, making the doctor laugh at Wynonna’s indignant “Hey!”

Waverly took a seat on the examination table, Nicole on the chair next to it and Wynonna loitered behind them, watching as the doctor started on her basic exam. She took Waverly’s blood pressure, listened to her lungs and heart with the stethoscope, and felt and listened to Waverly’s abdomen, noticing how the slight bulge was already visible.

“I just noticed that two days ago … Isn’t that a bit early?” Waverly asked, glancing at Nicole. She had a small freak out session that morning, Nicole finally calming her down with a long shower and a lengthy love making session.

“No two women show the same. Some show early and then barely get bigger during the rest of the pregnancy, others don’t start showing until their fifth or sixth month and then suddenly grow huge,” the doctor assured them. “Now let’s see if we can get a visual. Just lay back.” She helped Waverly scoot up the table and pulled up her shirt, smiling to herself when the woman took a firm hold on Nicole’s hand. She set up her gear and poured some translucent gel on Waverly’s abdomen, gently pressing the tip of the transducer on Waverly’s belly, spreading the gel around. “Don’t worry, it’ll warm up in a moment.” She focused on the screen in front of her, trying to get the right angle before turning back to her patients, trying to hide the smile on her face at what she was about to reveal. She had already picked up on two heartbeats at the preliminary examination earlier, but now she was 100 percent sure. “Everything is looking normal so far. Are you ready to see your babies?”

It took them a moment to comprehend and it was Wynonna who first found her voice. “Babies? As in plural? Way to go sheriff!” She slapped Nicole’s shoulder, but the redhead was so shocked she didn't react.

Waverly looked from the doctor to Nicole and back. “Are you sure?” 

The doctor nodded with a smile and turned the small monitor so everyone could see the grainy image. She pointed out two black dots. “It doesn’t happen often, but both implanted embryos have settled and are developing nicely. They are exactly on their 8 week mark. Congratulations, you’re having twins.” She took some more measurements, snapped some stills to be printed out and removed the transducer, using gentle wipes to clean up the gel. “I’ll fetch the pictures.” She pulled down Waverly’s shirt and stood, walking out of the room.

Waverly bit her lip as she turned her head to Nicole, who had been strangely silent during the entire event, and swallowed at the intense look in Nicole’s eyes. “You ok, baby?” 

Wynonna chose this moment to disappear, muttering something about needing some air and waiting by the car. Waverly gave her a smile. Sometimes Wynonna could be subtle and understanding.

Nicole couldn’t find the words to express how she was feeling, so the moment Wynonna shut the door behind her, she moved forward and covered Waverly’s lips with her own. The kiss was passionate, filled with unspoken emotions, and when Nicole moved back, she let her forehead linger against Waverly. “We’re having twins,” she breathed and sniffed when a few tears escaped her closed eyelids.

“Yep, we sure are,” Waverly replied. They stayed like that for a few moments, only breaking apart when the door opened again and the doctor walked in, smiling softly at the loving scene. 

The doctor gave the couple a moment to compose themselves before handing Nicole a brown file containing the pictures. “So I would like to see you again in about 18 weeks, if everything goes well. But don’t hesitate to call with questions or concerns. How’s the morning sickness?” 

Waverly shrugged, “I think it’s getting better. Like you said it would. I’m still feeling queasy, but I don’t throw up everything I eat anymore. And now I know there’s two of them I’ll need to take care even more right?”

“Yes. You’ll need twice as much nutrients. I know you’re vegan and that’s absolutely fine, but make sure you get enough protein and calcium. I’d recommend you take some extra supplements also, just because there’s two and they will ask a lot from your body, especially in a few months.” The doctor gave them a parting smile. “I saw your sister do a happy dance on her way out. She looked like she can’t wait to tell the rest of your family. Or the rest of Purgatory for that matter.”

Nicole laughed at that and she stood, not letting go of Waverly for even a second. “You’re probably not far off, doc. Thank you.” She held out her hand for the doctor to take. 

Waverly said her goodbye to the doctor and they left the office, both of them feeling on cloud nine. They found Wynonna leaning against the hood of Nicole’s cruiser and Waverly stepped away from Nicole to fall into her sister’s arms. 

The shrilling tone of Nicole’s phone broke the silence.

“Haught,” Nicole picked up and her face fell after only a few seconds. It was enough for Wynonna to stand straighter and look at her with concern. Nicole let out a breath as she closed her eyes for a second. “Ok, stay put. We’ll be there in twenty.” She turned off the phone and looked at Waverly with an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry, Waves. I really, really want to go celebrate with you, but that was Jesse. They found a body in the woods and from what he told me, it looks like the Daeva again.” 

Waverly reached up and cradled Nicole’s cheek, smiling softly. “Hey. You need to go, I understand. You’re the sheriff and I’m so proud of you.” 

Relieved, Nicole leaned down and kissed Waverly. “Thanks. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” The sound of her cruiser starting up made her look that way and she rolled her eyes, seeing Wynonna behind the wheel.

“Come on, Sheriff. No time to waste. We’ll drop off Waverly at Shorty’s on the way.”

“You know I don’t like you driving my car,” Nicole said as she opened the door for Waverly, letting her get in before moving to the passenger side. Both Earps had many skills, but driving sensibly wasn’t one of them.

Wynonna just laughed like a maniac and floored the cruiser, making Nicole curse as she had to grab onto the dashboard.

 

* * *

 

It was a gruesome sight, even Wynonna had to admit that as she leaned over the mangled remains of Jacob Sanderson. The body was mutilated so badly they needed his wallet to ID the boy. 

“Such a waste.”

Wynonna looked up at Nicole when she heard her utter those words, agreeing with them fully. The boy had just turned seventeen. Taking a deep breath, Wynonna stood. “I’ll go check up on Jesse.” She waited for Nicole to nod her consent before leaving to find the officer. Jesse was only a couple of years older and had known Jacob from high school. They had run track together. 

Nicole waved over Jeremy and checked to see if everyone else remained out of earshot. “What do you think? Daeva?” 

“Most likely. I have to do a full autopsy to be sure though.” Jeremy glanced at the wound on the head and shivered. “What does a sixty year old, almost retired market security guard and a seventeen year old schoolboy have in common to be butchered by the same demon?”

Nicole just shook her head, her jaws clenched. She hoped they would find the link soon, so they could find this demon and stop it before more people would get hurt. She turned and left Jeremy to do his work collecting the evidence on the body. She needed to check the perimeter to see if anyone heard anything. 

And inform the boy’s family … That would suck. 

She spotted Wynonna talking to Jesse a bit away from the scene and wondered where her other rookie had disappeared too. She stopped a passing officer. “Have you seen Officer Rory?” The man pointed her into the opposite direction and she thanked him. She found Rory leaning against a tree, looking as pale as she’d ever seen him. “Chris? You ok?” 

Rory jumped up, startled by her approach. “Me? Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” He stood up straight, needing to hide his discomfort. 

“You went to the same school as Jacob, didn’t you? You knew him?” Nicole may not have liked Rory, she still felt the need to offer him some comfort, even if he was acting like an ass about it. 

Shrugging his broad shoulders, Rory tried to look like it didn’t affect him at all. “Not really, no. I didn’t hang with the younger dweebs.” Which was true, he was a jock and only hung out with the other jocks and cool kids. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know who the kid was. 

Nicole felt like there was something off about Rory. That there was something he wasn’t telling. But she knew she’d never get it out of him. “Ok then. I need you to do a perimeter check. One mile in every direction. See if anything pops up. Take one of the other officers with you.” 

Rory clenched his teeth at having been sent out to do the grunt work, again. He stared at Nicole for a moment before mumbling an affirmative and stomping off.

Nicole blew out a breath. She recognised the defiance in his eyes and was steeling herself to have a row with the boy. It almost surprised her that he gave in so easily. Maybe he was starting to realize his place after all. 

 

* * *

 

It was frustrating to them all when no one could find anything that tied the murder of Jacob to the one on Max and after a couple of weeks of searching and investigating, the Jacob case was growing cold. 

“There has to be a way to find this Daeva.” Nicole buried her hands in her hair, staring at the evidence board. “Kate assured me it needs to feed every two months or so. I don’t need another body showing up on my doorstep!” 

Wynonna looked at her friend, noticing the dark circles beneath her eyes. She knew Nicole was blaming herself. That she felt she was responsible for the entire town’s wellbeing. “It’s not your fault, Haught.”

Nicole shook her head. “You try telling that to the city council, to the mayor, to Bunny fucking Loblaw.”

“Crime is down in Purgatory. There’s a whole lot less burglaries and fights. A lot less speeding and drunk driving too. The council knows that.” A big part of the drop could be explained by the disappearance of the revenants, but even then, Nicole’s good influence on the town could not be ignored. “And we’ll get this damned demon. I’m sure of it,” Wynonna concluded. “Come on, the kids should be getting back from lunch and then we can go eat and form a new plan of action.” Two new rookies were arriving from the city tomorrow and they needed both Jesse and Rory ready with a new roster and training schedule. 

“Jesse asked if he could be partnered with one of the new people. He doesn’t feel like Rory is a good match,” Nicole admitted. 

Wynonna huffed. “Have you considered firing him? Rory’s a loose cannon.” 

Nicole had thought about it. But she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. She thought he’d been trying. Ever since they found Jacob Sanderson something had changed in Rory and Nicole was still trying to figure out if it was a good or a bad thing. She took her coat from the back of her chair and shrugged it on. “Come on. Let’s go fetch them ourselves and get some food. I’m famished.” And she knew Waverly would probably be waiting at Shorty’s too. She missed her girl. 

 

* * *

 

At Shorty’s, Jesse and Rory were finishing up their lunch at a quiet table in the back. It wasn’t often they managed to go out to have a bite to eat, but the sheriff had insisted so they could clear their heads for a while. The two men talked some about the cases they’d been working on and about the rookies about to arrive, both happy not to be called rookies anymore.

Jesse, who sat facing the front door, saw Waverly enter and gave her a little wave. Rory glanced over his shoulder and scowled before turning back.

“She looks good, doesn’t she?” Jesse mentioned, wiping the corners of his mouth with his napkin. “The sheriff’s girl. She’s almost four months along now, if I counted correctly.” He watched Waverly greet her aunt and Doc behind the bar. When he looked back at his partner, and the scowl on his face, he huffed, finally at the end of his patience. “Dude, what’s your problem?” 

“They’re not right!” Rory hissed between his teeth, not caring to lower his voice. “First a woman bosses me around. Two of them. And then the sheriff turns out to be a fucking dyke and throws her girlfriend in my face at every turn. I’m sick of it. And everyone pretending like it’s fucking normal! They’re not normal!” He was standing at this point and almost screaming at Jesse, who sat in shock as his eyes fell on Nicole who had just walked into the bar. 

Rory noticed the shift of Jesse’s eyes and he turned around, paling when he saw his boss.

“You care to repeat that to my face, Chris?” Nicole had only caught the last part, but it was enough. And judging by Waverly’s look of shock, she had heard the rest and it was just as bad. Nicole was always very protective of her girlfriend, but now that Waverly was pregnant, it was even stronger and she felt her temper flare beneath her skin, wanting to punch the man’s teeth out for upsetting Waverly.

Wynonna rested a hand on Nicole’s elbow to calm her down. It wouldn’t do for the sheriff to punch one of her officers. Not in plain sight, anyway. “I knew there was something off with you, but raging homophobe wasn’t on my list.”

“I’m not …” Rory started, falling over his words.

Nicole held up her hand to stop him. “I don’t want to hear it.” She took a deep breath. “Go home, Rory. Go home and think hard about the fact that I am the sheriff in this town. And that means I’m your boss. Figure out if you can handle that. If not, I expect your letter of resignation on my desk by tomorrow.” Her tone didn’t leave room for argument and Rory dropped his head before stalking out of the building. Nicole closed her eyes to try and calm herself. She sighed when she felt familiar arms wrap themselves around her and breathed in the soothing scent of Waverly. “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” she mumbled into Waverly’s neck. 

“He’s just an obnoxious boy. Been handling those for years.” Waverly weaved her fingers into the short hairs at the nape of Nicole’s neck, smiling softly when she felt Nicole relax into her embrace. “But it was good of you to put him in his place.” 

A small cough made the two of them look at Jesse, the young man facing them and nervously fingering the brim of his hat. “Ehm, Sheriff, Miss Waverly … if I may … I just want to say that I don’t agree with Rory whatsoever. In fact, my favorite uncle is married to a man. They’ve been together for twenty years. Got married last spring.” 

Nicole clapped him on the shoulder. She didn’t find any words to thank him with, but by the way the man was beaming up at her, that might not even be necessary.

 

* * *

 

Rory was pissed. He stomped around his bedroom, glaring at the leather-bound book on his bed. “That bitch,” he murmured. That woman, that unnatural woman thinks she’s better than him. There was a glimmer in the corner of the room and he took a deep breath, turning to face the vile creature. “You’re hungry again, I take it?” The creature smiled and it made him shiver. The first time it smiled at him he was overcome by lust and want. Now it only made him feel fear and anguish. “If I give you another one, will you finally leave me alone?”

The creature sauntered forward and Rory averted his eyes, not wanting to gaze on the nakedness. It was, by all means, a beautiful woman … if you ignored the razor sharp talons and the bluish hue of its skin. It used one of its talons like an index finger and pressed it to Rory’s chest before bringing it’s mouth to his ear. “If it’s a tasty one, I might,” the creature hissed.

Swallowing in fear, Rory nodded. “The Sheriff … Nicole Haught.” The creature seemed to think it over. This was the first time it was a woman he named. Then it licked its lips, smiled and turned, disappearing back into the shadows in the corner of the room. Rory blew out a breath. Now, he just needed to get the Sheriff alone in a shadowed room and the Daeva would take care of his problems. He closed the book, shoving it into a backpack and hiding it underneath his bed. He didn’t want his father to find it, even if the man had no idea of the power it held. His grandfather did, showed him how powerful he could be. 

He would show them, show all of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and don't forget to feed the author


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Finally here with the fifth chapter of this story. And it's a long one! There's a little bit of smut near the ends, skip that if it's not your thing. Also , there's some violence, some blood, ect. Nothing too graphic, all canontypical. Note that I added a chapter 7 to the count, but that one will be an epilogue. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

Nicole fully expected to find the letter on her desk, but she didn’t expect Rory to be waiting in her office to personally hand it over. “Chris?” she inquired, not sure what he was doing there.

Rory got up from his chair. “Sheriff Haught, ma’am. I wish to apologise for my behaviour yesterday. It was beneath me and your words have made me realise that. I carried a lot of prejudice and hate for such a long time and it just burst out to the surface.” He took a breath, and lowered his eyes. “I had allowed the hatred to fester, instead of talking about it. And I am truly sorry. I’ll hand in my resignation if you want it. But if you let me stay, I would try my hardest to become an officer to make you proud. That’ll help to keep this town safe.”

Nicole needed a moment to fully grasp this change of character and she took a seat behind her desk. “Can you accept working for me? Fully accepting who I am? Who I love?”

“Yes, I believe I can. It might need some work, but I’m willing to do so. To try and become a better man.” Rory risked glancing up at Nicole. “The people respect you. The old, the young. The progressive and the not so modern thinking. Even Bunny, though she’d never admit it.” He saw Nicole crack a smile at that and gave one of his own. “I want to learn from you. If you’d let me.”

Nicole took her time observing the young man. He appeared to be sincere and Nicole always wanted to believe in the good in people. She took the letter of resignation from her desk, gave Rory one last look, and tore the letter in half. “Ok, Chris. I’m giving you another chance. It’s your last one, so don’t blow it. You’ll be partnered with me for the time being. I’ll let Jesse handle one of the rookies.” Rory gave her a relieved smile. “Go, get yourself into uniform.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rory dipped his head and turned to leave, not letting Nicole see the growing sneer on his face.

 

* * *

  


Nicole sat up, her back resting against the headboard of the bed, her fingers running over the laptop keyboard resting on her legs. A sigh at her side made her look at Waverly, slowly waking up from slumber. “Morning, sleepy head,” she said, bringing her fingers up to run through Waverly’s hair.

Waverly burrowed against Nicole’s warmth for a few moments longer. “Why did you let me sleep so long?” she mumbled, voice gritty from sleep, her eyes blinking open against the morning light.

“It’s not late at all. I just needed to get something done. And you looked so peaceful, I couldn’t bear to wake you.” Nicole knew her girlfriend could use the extra sleep. She squirmed when Waverly nuzzled her nose against the bare skin of her stomach where her shirt had ridden up and she clenched her muscles when she felt the soft but sneaky kiss.

Waverly turned on her back and stretched out her arms and back, letting out a groan when her spine popped. “I’m going to take a shower.” She looked up at Nicole, whose eyes never left her. “Care to join me?”

Nicole smiled. “I could be persuaded. Just let me finish up here first.” She motioned at the laptop.

“Don’t take too long,” Waverly teased and stepped out of bed. She rummaged through a dresser for some fresh clothes and disappeared from the room.

Nicole chuckled and turned back to the screen and to her bank account data. Taking a deep breath, she input a couple of passwords and watched as the remains of her trust fund were transferred back to her father's account. It was a bit scary to do it, which was why it had taken her so long. The money had always been there, always unused but there should she ever need it. And she used it to start her family. But now, with Waverly almost in her fifth month, she didn’t want any more ties to her family. Her father especially.

Closing the laptop, Nicole suddenly felt a lot lighter in her chest. Like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. A smile broke out on her face and she launched herself from the bed and toward the bathroom, only to stop and freeze in the doorway. Waverly was standing there, gloriously naked, gazing at herself in the mirror with a frown.

“You are beautiful, you know that?” Nicole said with reverence. Waverly blinked as she turned around, but Nicole didn't miss the glistening in her eyes. She propelled herself toward Waverly, gathering her into her arms. “Baby, what's wrong?”

Waverly drew in a shaky breath. “It's stupid. Just … crappy hormones. I feel like a whale and I don't feel ready to become a mom … and that I'll be a big disappointment to everyone. To you.”

“Hey,” Nicole stopped her with a kiss on her forehead. “There is no way you'll disappoint anyone, especially not me.” She brought up her hands to cradle Waverly’s cheeks. “And I spoke the truth when I said you're beautiful.” An idea hit her and she bit her lip, thinking about something. “Wait here for a sec.”

Waverly lifted an eyebrow in confusion as Nicole sprinted out of the room. She heard a bang and chuckled when she heard Nicole curse, clearly having run into something in her haste. Nicole reappeared a few moments later, red faced and looking sheepish. “What are you up to?” Waverly wondered out loud, amused by the other woman’s antics.

“I wanted to do this a long time ago. But I never found the right moment. And maybe this isn’t it, but …” Nicole took a deep breath and got down to one knee, not missing the hitch in Waverly’s breathing when she flipped open the small velvet box in her hand. “Waverly Earp … will you do give me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The ring was beautiful. A simple golden band with a sensible sized diamond in its center, flanked by two small onyx stones. Waverly understood the sentiment immediately, having sort-of proposed to Nicole before with Bulshar’s ugly black ring. She stared at it for a long time, Nicole slowly getting worried, before her eyes drifted down to Nicole. “Get up, you idiot,” she said with a smile.

Nicole looked up in confusions, trying to gauge Waverly’s reaction, and she got to her feet. That wasn’t a yes … or a no. Then she realised Waverly was still naked in their bathroom, probably getting a little bit cold and uncomfortable. “This probably wasn’t the best time for me to do this, huh?”

Breaking out into a laugh, Waverly held out her left hand. “Probably not. But I love you for it. And of course I’ll marry you, you silly goose.” She chuckled at the relieved sigh Nicole let out as she took the ring from its box and slid it around Waverly’s finger. “But we are waiting until after I pop out these babies. I’m not looking like a whale in my wedding dress.”  

“Deal,” Nicole answered, moving in to kiss her fiancee on the lips. “Now, how about we get you all warmed up in the shower.” She started to move Waverly backwards to the shower stall, chuckling when Waverly pawed at her shirt. This called for a celebration.

 

* * *

  


“You sure this is the place, Chris?” Nicole asked as she stepped out of her cruiser, flicking on her flashlight to shine down the desolate old cabin. The two of them had been working closely together for about a week and Nicole was surprised how good it was working. She felt that Rory was giving it his all to become a good cop, a good man.

Rory stepped up next to her, the beam of his flashlight joining Nicole’s. “This is the address dispatch gave me. Thought it was a strange place for a disturbance call. Probably just some squatters.”

Nicole transferred her light to her left hand, freeing the right to go for her gun. “We better check it out anyway. Stay close to me.” She waited until Rory nodded, going for his own gun, and led the way to the entrance of the cabin. Nicole kicked at the door with her boot, “Sheriff’s office. Open up!” She looked at Rory in silence, waiting to hear any movement inside.

“I don’t think there’s anyone there,” Rory whispered. Nicole was about to agree with him when an ear-shattering scream pierced the air. It was a woman’s.

Taking a step back, Nicole kicked down the door and shone her light inside, her gun at the ready. “Stay behind me, Chris. See if you can find some light.” She took a couple of steps inside, her light sliding over the walls of the place. She heard Rory move behind her and heard a click when he flipped on a lightswitch. The one remaining bulb hanging from the ceiling painted the room in a faint light.

“Where did that scream come from?” Nicole wondered out loud. The room they were standing in looked abandoned. Cobwebs and dust covered the surfaces with no tracks to show that anyone or anything had been there in years. She made her way further into the cabin, pushing open a door to a broken down bathroom, just as empty as the rest of the place. She moved past the small kitchen, more and more into the shadows, when she first heard it, a soft hissing. She turned around, her flashlight shining into an empty corner. “Did you hear that?” she asked Rory.

“Hear what?” Rory answered. Something had changed in his voice and Nicole looked at him with a frown. He had moved inside and watched with disinterest as something shimmered into the shadows next to him. “Oh, that?” He questioned as the shimmer cleared up to reveal the Daeva.

Nicole swallowed, feeling her stomach drop as her mind caught up with everything. Rory was the warlock. And she was with him, alone in an abandoned building, lured by the demon’s scream. The demon he conjured. “Chris?” She held her gun high, glad to see that she hid her trembling well.

Rory was surprised. Most people fainted when being confronted with a demon. “It took me a couple of days to get you placid enough to believe me on my every word. Don’t you think I could get an Oscar? You actually believed my sob story about wanting to be a better man and respecting you. Well, I don’t. And I’m proud to be ridding the world of you. Maybe I’ll go for that little girlfriend of yours next. That’ll be three birds in one stone, I guess.” The sneer that crossed his face made Nicole feel sick to her stomach. Rory turned to the Daeva. “She’s all yours. I trust we have concluded our arrangement then?” The Daeva hissed something and Rory dipped his head. “Farewell, Sheriff Haught. I hope it hurts.” With one last look, he walked out of the door, shoving it close behind him.

Nicole’s eyes didn’t leave the demon as it stalked its way closer. Her fingers trembled on the trigger of her gun and she wondered why she hadn’t taken a shot already. Sweat was breaking out across her brow when she realised she couldn’t control her body’s movements. The creature stopped in front of Nicole and held out on of it’s talons, trailing it around Nicole as it looped around the seemingly frozen woman. The Daeva moved her face against Nicole’s neck and inhaled sharply before running it’s tongue against Nicole’s skin, making the woman shiver.

“You resist me. Why?” The demon hissed into Nicole’s ear, her warm breath tickling the shell. “Hmmm … Love, is it? It seeps from your skin, out of your pores. But you’ll give in. Just like the others did. At least you’re giving me a challenge.” She slowly raked one of her talons down Nicole’s neck, opening up a shallow cut from below her ear down to her collarbone. Nicole cried out softly but was unable to do anything more than clench her teeth when the Daeva licked up the trickle of blood, humming in pleasure and ecstasy.

Nicole tried to fight, to get her body to move as the Daeva started to grow frenzied, groaning and moaning, opening up a fresh cut through Nicole’s jacket into her chest. She closed her eyes in despair and thought about Waverly. She hoped Wynonna and the others would figure out it was Rory and stop him before more people got hurt, before he’d get to Waverly.  Sweet Waverly and the babies she had growing inside of her. The babies she’d never get to meet. She prayed for their safety and hoped they wouldn’t let Waverly see what would be left of her. A mutilated husk.

She felt the Daeva’s talon start to pierce through her shoulder and hoped it would be over quickly, when a gunshot sounded through the cabin. The Daeva shrieked and pushed Nicole to the ground in her haste to escape. Nicole grunted at the impact but found she could move again. She looked up at another shot to see it slam into the wall. The Daeva had disappeared. Whipping her head to the other side, she found Jesse, wide eyed, pale and out of breath.

“What the hell was that?!” the young man called out in confusion.

Nicole let her head drop to the ground in relief and let out a bark of laughter.

“Sheriff?” Jesse kneeled down next to Nicole and started to look for injuries. Perhaps a head injury caused the strange behavior?

“Welcome to Purgatory, Jesse James,” Nicole said. “I’ll get you educated in demon 101 asap. First, give me my phone.” Jesse blinked at the word demon, but reached into Nicole’s pockets, handing her the phone, watching as she dialed Wynonna’s number.

“Haught! You know what time it is?” Wynonna barked out.

“Rory is the warlock,” Nicole countered.

“What?! How do you figure?”

“I just got attacked by the Daeva.”

The other end of the line was silent for a moment before Nicole could hear Wynonna stumble, probably trying to step into her boots. “What happened? Where are you? Are you ok?”

The questions followed so fast, Nicole could get a word in between. “Wynonna! I’m fine. Get Waverly and come to the hospital.”

“Why the hospital?”

Nicole exhaled and rolled her eyes at the question, “Because that’s where I’m asking Jesse to take me. I’ll probably need some stitches.” She looked down at her shoulder and grimaces. “Quite a lot of them,” she mumbled. Waverly was going to kill her. She disconnected the call after Wynonna assured her she was on her way.

Jesse helped Nicole to her feet, bracing one of her arms over his shoulders to help her to his car. Nicole bit down a whimper as she sunk down into the passenger seat. The cuts on her chest and shoulder were really starting to sting now. Jesse reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small first aid kit. He took some gauze out of it and created a makeshift bandage to tie around Nicole’s wounds. “Here,” he held out some for Nicole to hold up to her neck, even if the cut there wasn’t bleeding anymore.

Nicole stopped him and she saw the confusion in his eyes. “Thank you, Jesse. You saved my life. Why were you here?”

Jesse shook his head and dropped his eyes, feeling a bit shy. “I just … I saw you and Rory leave and it didn’t feel right. So I decided to follow you. Then you stopped here and went inside. I waited and saw Rory leave without you. That wasn’t right, so I came to check it out. I saw you with that … thing … that Daeva.” He shivered as he recalled that moment. He really thought he’d moved too late and Nicole would end up dead.  “What the hell is a Daeva?” He went to the other side of the car and got in, turning the ignition.

Taking a deep breath, Nicole used the time it took for them to get to the hospital to give Jesse a quick update of the supernatural coming and goings of Purgatory. “This will sound insane at first, but hear me out …”

 

* * *

  


Waverly threw open the door to the ER and marched inside. “Where is she?!” she demanded, startling the few nurses on the ward. No one wanted to get in the way of this pregnant and seemingly very angry, woman. A familiar person appeared out of a cubicle, “Gretta! Where’s Nicole?!”

Gretta Perley gave her a smile and pointed down the hallway, “Last cubicle. She’s fine.” She watched as Waverly made her way there as fast as she could go, understanding her need to see that with her own eyes. She turned to Wynonna, who gave her a curt greeting and followed her sister inside. The two of them would never really see eye-to-eye, but they respected one another.

Waverly pulled open the curtain and breathed out in relief when brown eyes met hers, swallowing against the sudden lump in her throat. Nicole was sitting sideways on the bed, her uniform shirt hanging open to reveal the dark tank-top underneath. And the stark white bandages covering her chest, neck and shoulder.

“Hey, Wav-” Nicole started, being interrupted when Waverly practically threw herself into her arms. She exhaled loudly, hugging the trembling form tight against her chest. “I’m ok, Waves. Really.” She looked up when Wynonna entered, seeing the relief in the older Earp’s eyes.

“I called everyone into the station. We’re going to get him for this,” Wynonna said with steel in her voice.

Waverly moved back a bit but kept her hands on Nicole. She needed to touch her, feel her. Make sure Nicole was truly there, alive. “What happened?”

Nicole frowned, “He lured me into a trap. Guess he needed to get me alone, as an offering for his demon.” She rubbed at the bandage on her throat. “It was so weird. I could barely move, couldn’t resist.” Her eyes dropped to the floor as she remembered the feeling of despair. Waverly’s hands on her shoulder made everything feel real again. “Jesse … He listened to his gut and followed us. Shot the demon.” She looked up at Wynonna and moved to hop off the bed. “We need to find Rory and bring him in, now.”

Wynonna shook her head, “You ain't going nowhere, Haughtshot. You are going to stay in that bed, with my sister next to you and you’re going to stay there until we’ve caught him.”

“I’m the goddamn Sheriff, Wynonna. I’m not staying behind!”

Waverly pushed Nicole back onto the bed. “We all know you’re the sheriff, Nicole. But even you need to rest and recover from a demon attack. You’re not Wonder Woman!” Nicole was about to argue further when the cubicle curtains shifted and Gretta walked in.

“Listen to your mate, Sheriff Haught,” the witch said, her voice soft and quiet, not wanting the rest of the ward to overhear their conversation. She made sure the curtains were closed behind her before facing the group again. “You need to stay as far away from this demon as you possibly can. Once the warlock named you as a target, the Daeva gains full control over you.” She paused for effect, her eyes staring into Nicole’s. “I’ve heard stories about it, horrible stories about grown men turning against their own wives at the whim of a Daeva.”

Nicole swallowed and visibly deflated, sinking down into the bed. “So what do we do? How can we get rid of it?”

“The demon was hurt, yes?” Gretta waited until Nicole nodded. “It will be weakened then. Almost powerless until it feeds.” She looked at Wynonna, “The warlock should have a book, an old book. Burn it. It will force the demon to leave this plane.”

The grin appearing on Wynonna’s face was chilling. “A good old fashioned burning. Count me in.” She turned to her sister and Nicole. “You heard the witchy lady, stay put. I need to find a book to burn!”  

Nicole frowned at Wynonna’s look of delight as the oldest Earp disappeared out of the cubicle, already getting on the phone with Doc.

 

* * *

  


Nicole woke up with a gasp, blinking her eyes into the darkness, wondering what had woken her up so sudden. The warm weight of Waverly against her side was comforting and she laid her head back down on her pillow, listening to Waverly’s soft and relaxed breathing. The hospital room Gretta had found them wasn’t completely dark, to Nicole’s relief. The confrontation with the Daeva had shook her up more than she liked to admit. Emergency lighting casted everything in a bluish hue, bright enough for Nicole to see the darkening shadow in the corner.

The shadow solidified and to Nicole’s horror, the Daeva appeared. It looked horrible, with blood running down it’s shoulder and arm. Nicole tensed, her eyes going to her gun on the table next to her head. The Daeva smirked and held out her hand and Nicole felt the same feeling of helplessness run through her body.

“Get up,” the Daeva hissed and Nicole gritted her teeth, trying to fight for control over her own body. The Daeva took a step closer, “I said, get up!”

Ever so slowly, Nicole fighting for all she was worth, she pulled her long legs from underneath the blanket, careful not to disturb Waverly. The Daeva moved closer and grabbed Nicole’s chin, turning her head to look at the still sleeping woman. “Your love … So powerful.” It took Nicole’s gun and pushed it into the woman’s trembling hands. “Your anguish even more. It will feed me for years to come. Kill her!”

Nicole gasped when she felt her fingers curl around the handle of her gun, her finger tensing around the trigger. “No … Don’t make me do this,” she managed to mumble in despair, trying to stop her own hand from lifting, the Daeva chuckling into her ear. She stared at Waverly’s face, feeling the gun cock …

The door burst open and Gretta barged in, mumbling an incantation as she blew something towards the demon. It was pushed back and Nicole felt like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The gun dropped from her fingers, shortly followed by Nicole herself. The Daeva screamed and threw herself forward in rage, only to be met with a metal tray Waverly slammed onto it’s head.

“That’s my girlfriend, you bloodsucking bitch!” Waverly placed herself in front of Nicole, taking Nicole’s gun from the floor.

Gretta moved next to her, mumbling another incantation to hold the demon back. But she knew there was nothing she could do to kill the beast. Only the burning of the book could do that. And the gun would hurt it, but Gretta doubted it would run this time. It needed to feed, badly. And the sheriff was a good snack, apparently.

 

* * *

 

“Sheriff’s office! Open the goddamn door!” Wynonna used her boot to kick the door, a shotgun in her hands. She prepared herself to kick it down when it opened, and older man looking at them in fear and confusion at seeing the firepower on his doorstep.

“Deputy Earp? What’s the hurry?” the man asked.

Wynonna nodded at Doc and the gunslinger moved past them into the house, his gun ready. “Where’s Chris, Mister Rory?”

“I don’t know … Not here. He had the late shift last night and usually goes for a drink afterwards.”

Doc had scanned the lower floor of the townhouse, “clear.”

Wynonna nodded and started to climb the staircase, Doc at her back. “Which bedroom is Chris’?”

“First one on the right,” the older man called out, still sounding confused.

The door was unlocked and Wynonna made her way inside, turning on the lights and pointing her shotgun around. “He’s not here,” she said disappointed, throwing the gun onto the bed.

Doc replaced his gun in its holster. “Perhaps the book is somewhere in the vicinity.” He walked over to the desk and scanned the various notes and books scattered around.

“If I was a testosterone laden boy, where would I hide stuff I didn’t want my parents to find,” Wynonna wondered out loud. She checked the cabinets besides the bed, which was where she hid all her stuff from her aunt and sister growing up. She dropped to her knees and checked underneath the bed, humming when she spotted a backpack. She dragged it out and let out a small cheer when feeling how heavy the thing was. “It’s either in here or that boy was quite the porn collector.” Doc came to her side as she unzipped the bag and pulled out the heavy book.

“What is that?”

Wynonna looked up at Rory’s father. “Something really bad that needs to burn.”

The man took a closer look and cursed softly. “That book belonged to my father. I didn’t know he had given it to Chris. Always with his nonsense … Demons and magic ... Chris seemed to believe it.“

Doc gave Wynonna a look and took the backpack. He went into the hallway, checked the other rooms until he hit the bathroom and threw the bag with the book into the tub. Then he took his lighter and brought the flame to the top of the paper. It lit up like kindling.

Wynonna stepped next to him and nodded her head, watching the book go up in flames. “That’s it then?” she asked Doc, to which the gunslinger could only shrug.

 

* * *

 

Back at the hospital, Gretta was successful in keeping the Daeva occupied with minor spells and illusions. But she was growing tired and each spell was wearing off quicker than the last. Waverly was down on her knees, her arms around Nicole, who was still fighting the demon’s control over her body. Suddenly, the demon grew still, its eyes widening.

“No … They couldn’t have ... “ it murmured as smoke started to form around it’s feet. The demon shrieked and made one last charge towards Nicole, who reached for her gun and fired, hitting the demon right between the eyes. The body was engulfed in flames before it hit the ground. Seconds later, there was no trace left.

Gretta had to grapple for the bed to steady herself, breathing hard. But she smiled as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “They must have succeeded in burning the book.”

Waverly blinked, looking at the scorch marks on the ground. “That’s it then? We’re safe?” she sagged against Nicole, feeling the taller woman pull her into her lap. “You ok, baby?”

Nicole closed her eyes and buried her face in Waverly’s neck, breathing her in. She remembered looking at Waverly over the barrel of her own gun. How close she had come to pull the trigger. She shivered.

Gretta pulled the blanket from the bed and covered them both up. “Rest … You’re safe now.” She stood to leave.

“Thank you, Gretta,” Waverly said softly. The witch dipped her head with a smile and walked out of the room, leaving the other two to comfort each other

“Nicole? I’m ok. We’re ok.” Waverly assured her. She felt Nicole’s breathing hitch, her shoulders tremble and she buried her fingers in red hair when she felt the wetness against her neck. She held on tight as Nicole sobbed.

 

* * *

 

Rory stumbled home from his own private celebration at Pussy Willows. His boss was dead and the demon would be gone. He could put that cursed book far away and continue his life. He might be up for promotion, who knows? Bunny seemed to like him enough. Deputy Earp was no sheriff material, even he knew that. She’d screw that up sooner rather than later. Smiling to himself, he rounded the corner leading to his house and froze. Wynonna’s blue truck was parked in front, the Earp and Doc Holliday talking with his father, a crestfallen look on his face. He leaned against the corner, staying out of sight and tried to get the gist of the conversation.

“Max Morgan? Yeah, of course I know Max. He hit my son with his car when he was seventeen. It was an accident, Chris drunkenly wandered onto the streets. Max couldn’t have avoided him. Chris broke his knee.” Mister Rory sounded devastated as he ran his hands through his hair. “Do you really think my son has anything to do with his death?”

“I’m afraid so, sir. We really need to find him.” Doc had removed his hat in respect for the man. “He assaulted Sheriff Haught as well.”

Rory’s eyes widened when he heard his father inquire if the sheriff was alright and got a positive answer. That bitch survived? How? He watched as Wynonna put down her phone and he knew he needed to get out of there. They would be looking for him. He sprinted into the other direction. He’d steal a car and get the hell away from this town, for a while anyway. Until it cools down. A couple of months maybe. Then he’d come back and fix this mess.

 

* * *

 

Nicole took it hard that Rory had gotten away. But as days turned into weeks, she accepted that it would take time. There was an all-points bulletin on him all across the country for two murders and one attempt. Sooner or later he would be picked up somewhere. She had other things to worry about as Waverly’s pregnancy was running its course. Like fixing up the nursery.

“Are you sure about those colors?”

Waverly looked up from her seat at the table to see Nicole coming down the stairs, dressed in cargo shorts and a t-shirt splattered with paint. She chuckled and pointed at Nicole’s face, “You’ve got some paint there.”

Nicole cursed and rubbed at her cheeks, only spreading the smudge even more. “Jeremy was throwing paint all around,” she whined, but the glint in her eyes told Waverly she didn’t mind at all. She went into the kitchen and took three bottles of coke out of the fridge. She showed one to Waverly, silently asking if she wanted one, and closed the door when Waverly shook her head. She used the end of a screwdriver, taken from the utility belt that hung low on her hips, to flip the cap off one bottle and brought it to her lips, taking a long drink.

“God, that’s hot, Haught.” Waverly exclaimed, her mouth hanging slightly open. Nearing the end of her pregnancy, her hormones where wreaking havoc on her body. Not that Nicole was complaining.

“What is? Me drinking coke?” Nicole teased, but the dip of her eyes and the bite to her lower lip told Waverly she knew _exactly_ what it was. She sauntered forward and moved behind Waverly, placing the bottles on the table to run her hands over Waverly’s shoulders, leaning over for a kiss when Waverly let her head fall back. “Don’t work too hard, ok?”

Waverly looked down at the table and the pile of baby clothes she was folding. “I’m fine. But the same goes to you, ok? Let the boys do the heavy lifting.” She chuckled when Nicole lifted her eyebrow, both imagining Jeremy or Robin doing any heavy work.

Nicole took the bottles and made her way back upstairs, working her hips a bit more than usual as she climbed the stairs, and not missing Waverly’s sharp intake of breath. She threw a wink back over her shoulder, a silent promise for later, and went into what used to be the guest bedroom, but was now transformed into a nursery. The walls were painted a soft moss green and Robin was busy painting an array of animals on the back wall, surprising them all with his painting skills. Jeremy was on the floor, puzzling together two IKEA cribs, carefully following the plan. They tried it without the plan at first … that proved to be a bad idea.

Nicole handed both boys a bottle and the three gazed at Robin’s paintings while they took a break. “Those are really good,” Nicole mentioned. “I wasn’t sure about the green, but I can see it work now. Thanks for the help.” She could paint, sure, and fixing those cribs would have been no problem also. But it felt good to have her friends with them, helping. Waverly picked the colors, well, demanded the colors as she was getting bossy this far into her pregnancy.

Robin gave a shy smile, “You’re welcome. Happy to help.”

They heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Waverly enter. Nicole held out her arm and she tucked herself against the redhead’s side. “Wow … This is perfect,” she said with a content sigh. “I knew the green would be perfect. And your animals. The perfect gender-neutral bedroom.” She smiled when she felt Nicole place a kiss on top of her head. Ever since they found out she was carrying a boy and a girl, they were looking for gender neutral things. That would make things way easier in form of clothes and toys and stuff. At least for a little while.

“Have you guys thought about names yet?” Jeremy asked, very excited like always.

Waverly grinned. “Yeah, sure. There’s Whitney, Willow, Wendy, Winny or so for a girl and William, Winslow, Weston, Wally, …”

“There are other letters in the alphabet, you know, Waves?” Nicole teased and chuckled when Waverly nudged her in the ribs with her elbow.

Robin finished his soda and returned to grab his paintbrushes. “I’m almost done. Maybe twenty minutes or so.”

Jeremy nodded. “Perfect. We should be done with the cribs by then too. Just in time to get cleaned up and get ourselves to Shorty’s. I can’t believe the little rascal is turning two already. Seems like only yesterday we had to run for our lives to escape the widows and make sure Alice made it out of the triangle.”

Nicole felt Waverly press closer against her. It was a close call for her then, with Rosita betraying them all and Waverly almost shooting the revenant she had considered a friend. But that was all in the past now. They had a future to look forward to.

Less than half an hour later, they waved Robin and Jeremy out to get themselves ready for the b-day party.

Nicole wandered through the bedroom and shed her work clothes, to the enjoyment of Waverly watching her from the bed. She never could get enough of watching Nicole undress. From the stretching of her long, lean limbs to the soft rippling of her abs as she pulled the shirt over her head.

“Enjoying the view?”

“You know I do. You are sheer perfection … And you all say I’m the angel.”

Nicole removed her utility belt and slid the shorts down her legs. Just dressed in her bra and boyshorts, she kneeled by the bed in front of Waverly and took her hand, placing a kiss on the engagement ring on her finger. “You’re my angel, Waverly Earp. And I love you.”

Waverly leaned forward and captured Nicole’s lips in a kiss, wasting no time in slipping her tongue into a welcoming mouth. The kiss was slow and passionate, lasting until they were both out of breath. “You know, we’ve still got some time until we need to go to the party.”

The seductive tone in Waverly’s voice was impossible to miss and Nicole chuckled low. “Well, let’s make the most of it then, shall we.” Her fingers snaked their way up Waverly’s calf, making the smaller woman giggle when she tickled at the back of her knee, and moan when she followed the path higher to the inside of her thigh until her fingertips brushed rapidly dampening panties. “Sweet jesus, Waves. You’ve been thinking about this for a while huh?” The coy smile she got in return was her answer. She used her hands to push up Waverly’s dress, helping it slip from underneath her hips and over her head. She licked her lips at the sight off full breasts, straining against the fabric of the bra and wasted no time freeing them from their hold. Nicole knew she liked breasts, of course she did, and Waverly’s were perfect. But there was something about the way they filled her hands right now that made her caresses feel more like worship.

Waverly rested back on her elbows, lying fully on her back wasn’t comfortable anymore, and moaned when Nicole’s lips closed around her nipple. It had taken her some time to get comfortable with the way her body was changing. But Nicole was truly gentle, easing her through the doubts and fear. Yes, she was a lot bigger with the stretch marks to go with that and yes, her breasts leaked sometimes and her mood swings could be brutal. But Nicole was there with hugs and kisses, patient and supportive through it all. And Waverly loved her even more for it, if that was even possible.

“You ok, baby?” Nicole wondered, seeing her eyes start to glisten. Waverly just nodded and pulled her up to her mouth again, kissing her with vigor. “Let me take care of you,” Nicole whispered against her lips and moved behind Waverly, setting herself up against the headboard and leading Waverly to sit against her, resting her back against Nicole’s front.

Waverly moaned when Nicole’s hands found her breasts again and she let her head fall back against a strong shoulder, shivering when she felt Nicole’s lips move against her neck. Her own hands covered Nicole’s on her breasts and she started to drag the right one down, breathlessly moaning, “Please .. Nic.”

Long fingers stopped to caress her protruding belly, the gesture so full of love it nearly made Waverly break out in tears again, before slipping lower and into scorching heat at the same moment Nicole latched her lips on Waverly’s pulse point. Waverly howled and tangled her hand in Nicole’s hair, holding her tightly in place. It wouldn’t take her long, she knew. It never did these last couple of months, with the hormones keeping her in an almost constant state of arousal. And those fingers were playing her expertly, slipping from her entrance to her clit and circling around it. Soft and slow during the first passes, getting firmer and faster and she felt the start of her release at the bottom of her spine, like electricity clawing up through her body. She turned her head, pressing her lips to Nicole’s, the kiss sloppy and hurried. A breathless clash of teeth and tongue as she moaned out her release, Nicole’s fingers keeping up the pace to drag it out as long as possible, leaving her a boneless and spent mess in Nicole’s arms.

Nicole held her close, cooing and caressing her softly. It took long moment for Waverly to stir and she sighed deeply, feeling content to lay in Nicole’s arms for a bit longer. “Wow,” Waverly finally murmured and peeked up to see the smug look on Nicole’s face. “I think you put me right to sleep.”

Chuckling, Nicole reached for the blanket to pull over them both. “We have some time left, you can take a nap if you want.”

“But what about you?” Waverly asked.

“I said I’d take care of you and I meant it. I’m fine. Besides,” Nicole coughed and a hint of a blush tinted her cheeks. “Just watching you, feeling you … come against me so hard … Let’s just say it already took care of it.”

Waverly smirked, “You’re not getting shy on me, are you, Nicole Haught?” She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Nicole’s ear. “You really came from watching me? That’s so sexy.”

“Never, ever, tell Wynonna that, ok? She’d never let me live it down.” Nicole could already imagine the jokes her almost sister-in-law could make out of that.  

Waverly burrowed into Nicole and felt her eyes close. A quick nap sounded like heaven right now. And where better to be than in the arms of the woman she loved.

 

* * *

 

“Cole look!” Alice’s excited scream greeted Nicole and Waverly as they walked into Shorty’s. Nicole laughed as Alice came peddling toward her on a miniature Harley Davidson trike.

“Wow, Alice! Did your mommy bring you that?” Nicole chuckled when the girl nodded and pedaled away from them. She noticed several chairs and tables had been put aside to create a little free zone for the girl to race through. Shorty’s was closed for the rest of the day, letting them have the place for a family afternoon.

Gus weaved passed them, her hands full of snacks and drinks. She pushed it all into Nicole’s hands, ignoring her when Nicole rolled her eyes at Waverly, who giggled when her girlfriend wordlessly carried the things to the table. “Careful, Alice!” Gus called out when the girl nearly ran her trike into Nicole. Shaking her head, she hugged Waverly. “How are you feeling today? Jeremy mentioned the nursery is about ready? You better not have overdone it.”

“They wouldn’t let me. I just folded some clothes, that’s all. And I’m feeling great. A bit tired and sore, nothing I can’t handle.” Waverly looked away when her mind went back to exactly why she was feeling so great, if not tired and sore. Her aunt didn’t need to know more about her sex life than she already did. Gus lifted an eyebrow in suspicion but didn’t go into it further. She rested an arm around her niece’s shoulder and guided her toward the back, where the rest of their friends and family were seated.

Nicole was already sharing a beer with Wynonna, red faced and embarrassed at Wynonna’s teasing. “Hey Waves!” Wynonna called out to her sister. “Tell me again why you two are so late?”  

Waverly crossed her arms across her chest and gave her sister a stare. “I’m 8 months pregnant, Nonna. I’m allowed to take a nap.” She sat down on the chair next to Nicole, not missing the grateful smile.

Wynonna took a drink from her beer, her eyes not leaving Nicole as the redhead sipped at her own bottle. “If you’re anything like me when I was 8 months pregnant, I bet a nap isn’t the only thing you took.” Her grin widened when Nicole choked on her drink.

Gus slapped her on the back of her head. “Stop teasing your sister. They’re adults, they can do whatever … or whomever … they want. Besides your daughter is listening.”

Wynonna winked at Alice, sending the girl into a fit of giggles. She left her trike and went to Waverly, placing her ear on Waverly’s belly. “Babies there?”

“Yes, they are. For just a little bit longer and then they’re coming out to play with you.” Waverly ruffled Alice’s dark curls. “Speaking of playing.” She took the small, gift wrapped box and handed it over.

Alice let out a small squeal and dropped down on her behind, ripping the paper from the gift in her lap. Her eyes widened when she saw the wooden animal puzzle. “Open?”

Nicole left her chair and kneeled down next to Alice, taking the box and cutting the seal with her pocket knife. She showed Alice the board and the pieces, smiling when the girl immediately got engrossed in the colorful pictures. Nicole played with her for a few moments before the girl’s attention went to something else. She took Nicole’s hand and pulled her towards the toy instruments Jeremy and Robin had given her, the two men coming over to play with them. Robin had noticed the girl’s affinity for music when he was playing his saxophone when she was staying with them and promised he’d get her one of her own when she was a little bit older. For now, he was jazzing it out with the toy version.

Doc wandered over and plucked at the strings of the toy guitar, Alice soon in his lap to try it out for herself. Wynonna rested her chin on her hands as she watched them play. Waverly nudged her, “How are things between you and Doc progressing?”

Wynonna shrugged, not really knowing where to start. “It’s not easy. But we’re working on it.” She gave her sister a grin and bumped their heads together.

The door opened and Jesse wandered in, looking a little lost and out of place. Nicole waved him over and introduced the young man to the people he hadn’t met before. Jesse was fast becoming a good friend to Nicole, having saved her life from the demon. He’d mentioned still feeling a bit like an outsider in Purgatory, having come from the city. And with him now knowing about the supernatural happenings in town, he turned out to be a good asset to the team. Wynonna didn’t hesitate to invite him to the party.

Jesse kneeled in front of Alice and held out the stuffed animal in his hands. “Hi, Alice. I’m Jesse. I work with your mom and aunt Nicole.” Alice gave him a shy wave, her eyes falling on the colorful bear he was holding out. “Happy birthday,” he said when the girl finally reached out and took the toy.

Doc gave him a nod in thanks and Jesse smiled back, letting Nicole lead him toward the table and handing him a beer.

“Dinner time!” Gus called out, coming out of the kitchen with a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and a second bowl of the vegan variant. The group found seats and enjoyed their dinner, talking and quipping with each other about life and family.

It all ended when the door was kicked open ...

 

* * *

 

Rory barged into Shorty’s, gun at the ready. It took everyone moment to realize what was happening and to recognize the man. Rory had gotten thinner, his face gaunt and covered with an unkempt beard. Clearly, living on the run didn’t agree with him.

Nicole got up slowly, her eyes not leaving the gun pointed at her family. She could hear Waverly do the same beside her and placed her body in front of the heavily pregnant woman. “Put the gun down, Rory. You have a beef with me, leave my family out of it.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wynonna and Jesse, both with their guns drawn, and realized how quickly this situation could get out of hand. “Chris, please. Put it down.” She saw his hand tremble, but the madness in his eyes didn’t fade.

All around them, the world seemed frozen. Gus kept low, her arms around Alice with Doc looming above them, his hand ready to prove he was still the fastest gunslinger around. Jeremy and Robin kept silent, looking completely out of place with their silly party hats. The toy instruments still in their hands.

“You ruined me!” Rory spat, his gun shaking.

Nicole held up her hands, palm first. “What did you want me to do, Chris? You killed two people. And for what? Revenge?”

“I didn’t kill Jacob. The demon did! I didn’t want that!” Rory scrunched up his face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he remembered the boy. “I just wanted Max Morgan. He fucked up my career, my life. The Daeva promised me revenge. She went for Jacob on her own!”

“You unleashed a demon, you moron! What did you think would happen?” Wynonna was angry. Couldn't these people handle their own problems and leave the supernatural out of it? It would make her life a lot easier.

“Wynonna,” Nicole didn't think it was wise to anger Rory further. She slowly edged closer to him, hoping she could get near enough to take him out if she failed to talk him down. “We stopped the Daeva. Sent it straight back to hell.” She met Rory’s eyes and swallowed at the insanity she could read in there. What had happened to the man to have him sink so deep? She tried to keep him focused on her and held out her hand. “Give me the gun, Chris. Let this end right here.”

The hand holding the gun started to shake harder as Rory shook his head. “I won't go to prison.” At those last words, he tightened his grip on the gun and prepared to fire.

Nicole charged him, pushing the gun upwards just before he fired the shot. The bullet hit the ceiling causing bits of wood and plaster to rain down on them. Rory used Nicole’s momentum to push her aside, slamming the butt of his gun against her temple and throwing her through a table. Before he could raise the gun again, two more shots sounded, both Wynonna and Jesse taking their chance. Rory was pushed backwards when the two rounds slammed into his chest. He roared as he fell, discharging his gun haphazardly, making everyone duck for safety.

When the dust had settled, Nicole lifted her head and saw Rory, his lifeless eyes staring into nothingness. She groaned at the pain in her head and grabbed at it, not surprised to find her fingers come away bloodied. With difficulty, she turned herself to her side, her eyes immediately going to the spot she last saw Waverly in.

It took a moment before it sunk in that the woman wasn’t standing there anymore. “Waves?” she asked in confusion. She saw Wynonna duck behind the table, calling out words Nicole couldn’t comprehend as she fought unconsciousness. She dragged herself forward until she saw it: Waverly, slumped on the ground with her eyes closed and Wynonna, holding her hands to her sister’s chest, blood spilling between her fingers.

“WAVERLY!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill the messenger! But feel free to come and vent to me in the comments :)
> 
> Although lesbians do get hurt, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. No lesbians lose their life in my stories, unless I explicitly put it in the tags and/or warnings (I'm so sorry Lena!!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the conclusion of this story. Hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and/or comments.
> 
> A little epilogue is next, but it's finished and will join the story in the next few minutes.

Wynonna closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cold and hard wall of the emergency room. She could still hear Nicole’s final cry before the redhead promptly passed out. She could still feel her sister’s blood coating her fingers, even after having washed her hands five times already. Her sister, fighting for her life and that of her two unborn children. 

Without realising it, Wynonna had balled both her fists in anger. Her eyes shot open, startled when she felt a hand close around her fists. She exhaled when she saw it was Gus and didn’t resist when the elder woman pulled her into an embrace. “Alice ok?” she mumbled.

Gus nodded, “Doc took her home. Robin and Jeremy went with them. She was shocked by what had happened, but she shook it off. That girl is truly an Earp.” She knew they needed to talk with the girl about what happened. Maybe get her some counseling. God knows they should have done that for Wynonna and Waverly all those years ago. “How’s Nicole?”

Looking inside the room, Wynonna shook her head. “Still unconscious.” At any other moment, she’d make a joke about how Nicole scrambled her brain. “She broke two ribs and has a concussion. But the docs think she’ll be fine.” 

The double doors of the emergency wing opened and Wynonna recognised Waverly’s gynecologist walk towards them, recognizing her from the time she joined them on an appointment. Both Wynonna and Gus tried to ignore the blood stains on the doctor’s scrubs. “The sheriff is still unconscious, I heard?” When Wynonna nodded, the doctor continued. “Waverly’s babies were getting in distress, putting even more strain on her body. I had no choice but to have them delivered. To give them all a fighting chance.”

“But she was only 34 weeks …” Wynonna’s voice was soft and trailed off, not wanting to believe it. She grabbed hold of Gus, feeling the woman waver on her feet in shock.

“34 weeks with twins is not that abnormal. They both weight just over 4.5 pounds and are breathing normally. But we’ll have them monitored closely for the first couple of days.” The doctor gave them a moment to let that sink in. “Miss Earp is still in surgery. She lost a lot of blood.” Her lips formed a grim line. She knew it didn’t look good for the young woman, even without the burden of carrying twins. A shame, she had started to like the couple. She placed a hand on Gus’ arm, feeling that the move would not be accepted by the younger high-strung woman. “We’re doing all that we can to save her.” 

“I know Doctor. Thank you,” Gus answered, her tone grim. She watched as the doctor gave a nod in recognition and walked back through the double doors.

Wynonna pulled herself free from Gus and turned, slamming her fist into the wall, wincing at the sting in her knuckles. She turned back to Gus, her voice growing louder as she bordered on hysteria. “Now what do I tell Red? Congratulations, you’re a mom? Oh and you became a widow a the same time?! Which isn’t even true as they aren’t even married yet! I mean, have you seen the size of that diamond on Waves’ finger? I wonder what the doctors did with her ring … Waverly would hate it if it got lost!”

Gus poked her index finger into Wynonna’s chest with enough force to snap her out of her rant. “Enough, Nonna!” She watched Wynonna take a deep breath to calm herself. “Waverly is strong. She’ll pull through. I’m sure of it.”

Wynonna nodded, needing to believe her aunt. She needed to be strong. For Waverly, for Nicole.

 

* * *

 

It took another hour before Wynonna saw Nicole’s eyelids flutter. She sniffed and wiped at her face, hoping she’d look marginally better than the way she felt. 

Nicole’s breathing changed moments before brown eyes blinked open. She looked around in confusion until she found Wynonna. “Wynonna?” She brought a hand to her head and grimaced. “What the fuck happened?” 

“What do you remember?”

Nicole narrowed her eyes as she tried to make sense of her last memories. “We were at Alice’s birthday party. In Shorty’s.” She thought harder. “Rory. He had a gun …” her eyes shot open. “Waverly!” She threw herself to the side of the bed, needing to get on her feet, and cried out in pain when it aggravated her broken ribs.

Grabbing hold of Nicole’s shoulders, Wynonna pushed her back down. “Haught, stop! You broke two ribs!” When it was clear Nicole wasn’t about to relent, she threw her upper body on the bed, pinning the other woman underneath her. “Calm down! Waverly’s still in surgery.” That did the trick, as she felt the fight drain out of Nicole. She got up and looked into Nicole’s wide eyes.

“The babies?” 

“They had to deliver them. But they’re ok. Both of them.” Wynonna told the distraught woman, watching as Nicole sagged against the bed. 

Nicole didn’t fight the tears sliding down her cheeks. It where tears from relief, from pain and from fear. “How … how bad is it?”

Wynonna dropped down on the chair next to the bed and hung her shoulders. “I’m not really sure. She’s been in surgery for over two hours now. That can’t be good, right?” 

Nicole nodded, not having any words left in reply. 

Long moments passed with them both staying silent. “I need to see them,” Nicole said in a small voice, looking up at Wynonna who gave a nod and stood.

“I’ll go ask.” Wynonna left the room. She probably needed to tell someone Nicole was awake as well.

 

* * *

 

Nicole lifted a hand to the glass wall separating them from the hospital’s neonatal unit. She spotted their incubator easily as the two tiny figures inside already sported thin wisps of bright red hair. A nurse inside the room noticed them and moved the incubator closer to the window, giving Nicole a soft, supportive smile.

“They’re so small,” Nicole whispered as she looked down at the sleeping babies.

Wynonna let go of the wheelchair and moved to stand next to Nicole. “They’re strong. Like their moms.” She looked at her friend. “They haven’t been named yet.”

Nicole pointed a finger at the baby on the left. The girl had a pink tag around her little arm and was slightly bigger than her brother. “Wynter Eliza.” She swallowed around a lump in her throat and pointed a trembling finger at the other one. “Wyatt Xavier ...  Haught-Earp.” She took a shuddering breath and rand a hand across her face. “Wynonna? What am I going to do if she doesn’t …” She couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence, a sob escaping her.

Dropping to her knees in front of the wheelchair, Wynonna took hold of Nicole’s shoulders. “Don’t think that way. This is Waverly we’re talking about. Waverly’s an Earp, the Earpiest one of us all. She’ll get her stubborn ass through this. I’m sure of it! She's a freaking angel!” She stood and pulled Nicole against her, wrapping her arms around her. “We just have to believe in her.” She felt Nicole nod against her chest.

A ping of Wynonna’s phone made her step back. “It’s Gus,” she said looking at her screen. “Waverly’s out of surgery.” 

 

* * *

 

“She was lucky.”

Nicole didn’t look at the surgeon while he was talking. Her eyes were glued to the pale figure on the bed. Waverly’s complexion was almost as white as the sheets surrounding her. She looked so frail, her tiny body dwarfed by the machines surrounding her. Nicole reached out a trembling hand, her fingers coming to rest on the edge of Waverly’s hand. There was no reaction and, even though she didn’t expect one, it still hurt. 

The surgeon kept on talking and Nicole tried to pay attention, she really did, but most of it went over her head. It didn’t matter though, as Gus and Wynonna were there with her. 

“The bullet grazed her heart. A fraction more to the left and if would have been fatal, instantly.”

Wynonna took a breath. Like Nicole, she couldn’t look away from her baby sister laying in that bed. “So you’re saying she’ll be ok?” 

At that question, Nicole glanced over at the surgeon, something akin to hope in her eyes.

“She lost a lot of blood and her body was already stressed by the pregnancy. But we managed to stabilize her and no vital organs were hit directly. The impact collapsed a lung, but it’s been reinflated. We’re keeping her on a ventilator or a few days to help that heal. It should leave no permanent damage. We’re giving her blood and fluids. And now that her body won’t need to support the babies it can focus on healing.” The man looked around the room and gave a small, supporting smile. “Barring any complications. She’s a healthy young woman. I believe she will make it.” He focused on Nicole at the last sentence and saw her sag back into the wheelchair. “Now it’s just a waiting game until Miss Earp regains consciousness. That will be several days at least. We can arrange for your bed to be placed here, Sheriff. It is important that you rest as well.” 

Nicole nodded, her eyes turning back to the woman on the bed. 

The surgeon took his leave with the promise to inform the nurses to get Nicole moved to Waverly’s room. Gus thanked him and closed the door after him. The older woman walked to the other side of Waverly’s bed and wiped a few strands of hair from her niece’s forehead, careful not to nudge any wires or tubes. “You hang in there, baby girl. There are two new souls around who can’t wait to meet you.” She cleared her throat to compose herself and turned to look at the others, “I’m going to head home. See to Alice and let the others know what’s up.” 

Wynonna nodded and willingly went into Gus’ arms, “Thanks. I’m staying here ... To watch over them both.” 

Gus patted her on the shoulder as she moved passed Wynonna to Nicole. She kneeled down in front of the wheelchair and brought her hand to Nicole’s cheek, bringing her eyes up to meet hers. “You listen to me, Nicole. Waverly will be fine. It will be tough and it’ll take time, but she’ll be fine. But she will need you. Your children will need you. So you need to take care of yourself. Rest and heal. Listen to your doctors. Can you do that?” She saw the sparkle return to those dull and tired brown eyes and smiled in relief when Nicole gave a curt nod. She got to her feet and placed a kiss on Nicole’s forehead. “See you girls in a couple of hours.” She grabbed her coat from a chair. As she opened the door, she saw two nurses with Nicole’s bed and held open the door to let them pass. 

They placed the bed against the wall, Wynonna helping to move some chairs. One of the nurses went to Nicole. “Sheriff Haught? We’re going to help you get settled into bed. You really need to sleep.” For a moment there, the nurse thought Nicole would refuse, her fingers tightening around Waverly’s hand, but then she let out a breath and visibly deflated. She was tired, more tired than she had ever been. And she made a promise to Gus. 

“Ok,” Nicole said in a small voice. 

The nurse moved the wheelchair towards the bed and helped Nicole stand and settle into bed. “If there’s anything, just press your alarm button.” She glanced at Wynonna, seeing how the woman had settled herself into a chair and had kicked off her boots, clearly intending to stay. “I can’t convince you to go home, can I? Deputy Earp?” 

Wynonna gave the nurse her biggest smirk. “Oh, Gladys … you know me too well.” 

Shaking her head and nodding at the second nurse to leave, she checked Nicole’s IV line to see if it was dripping steadily and followed the other nurse out.

Nicole let her tired eyes fall on Wynonna, feeling whatever drug they were pumping through her system take effect. “Hey, Earp?” she asked, her voice starting to slur. She didn’t like painkillers, but was in no condition to protest about them.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.” 

Wynonna looked up to see Nicole’s eyes close and her breathing start to deepen, a clear sign that the woman was out. “Anytime, Red.” She let her head lean back against the chair and closed her own eyes. It had been a long day and more would surely follow.

 

* * *

 

Nicole shifted in her chair. Her ribs were healing, slowly and painfully, but sitting still for so long was pretty much agony. She agreed to take her painkillers for the first few days and thus ended up sleeping most of that time. But she didn’t want that anymore. She flexed her fingers underneath Waverly’s and sighed deeply. No, she wanted to be here, awake and lucid when her girlfriend, her fiancée, woke up. 

She was rarely alone, with friends and family stopping by almost non-stop. In fact, Nicole was glad for the moment of peace she was given when Gus dragged Wynonna home to get some sleep. And a shower, the woman really needed a shower. 

The silence surrounding her was comforting, the bleeping of the machines assuring her that all was well. That Waverly was breathing. That her heart was still beating. Her condition was stable, they nurses always said. That she just needed some time to wake up. But it had been over a week now.

Nicole tangled her fingers with Waverly’s, bringing their joined hands up to her lips, whispering, “I’m here, baby. I’ll wait. Forever if I have to.” 

A tentative knock on the door made her look up and her eyes widened when she saw her visitor. “Mom?” 

Elizabeth Haught hesitated as she took a step inside the room, not sure if she would be welcomed. “Nicole … Uhm … I heard what happened. It was all over the news.” 

Nicole’s brows furrowed, pretty sure that a shooting in Purgatory wouldn’t reach international news. She slowly got to her feet, holding her ribs with a wince. “What news?” 

“I’ve been following the local news here … Just in case …” Elizabeth said in a small voice, letting it trail off. “Uhm … How are you feeling?” 

“Like crap, ma. I have two broken ribs, the love of my life is laying here comatose and she might never get to meet her own children.” Nicole failed to keep her voice from breaking and she scowled at herself for it. 

Eyes widening, Elizabeth needed a moment to find her voice. “Children? You succeeded?” That part wasn’t included in the news she had found. 

Nicole deflated and nodded, bringing one hand up to Waverly and taking her hand. “Yes. A boy and a girl. Twins. Wyatt and Wynter.” She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply before facing her mother once again. “I gave dad his money back. All that was left. Where is he anyway?” 

“I don’t care about the money. And your father … well, he didn’t agree with me coming here. His loss.” Elizabeth looked at her daughter with sad eyes, taking a couple of steps closer. “I don’t agree with a lot of your life choices, but you’re still my daughter. And I love you. So does your father, he’s just as stubborn as a mule.”    

Nicole was flabbergasted. Her mother had actually defied her father in coming here? That was a first. “Are you serious? After all these years?” 

“I know I won’t win a World’s Best Mom award. And I’m sorry for that,” Elizabeth didn’t look away, even if she was ashamed of herself. She was just too proud to do that. “You will be way better at that role. I see it in the way you look at her. The hope in your eyes.” She gave a nod, realising she finished what she had to say. “It was good to see you up and about, Nicole. I hope Waverly will be ok. And that you’ll both have a happy and full life to look forward to, with Wyatt and Wynter.” She clenched her jaw and prepared to leave.

Nicole watched her go and she took a breath, “Wait.” Her mother turned back to her and she could see the unshed tears pooling in Elizabeth’s eyes. “Do you want to see them?”

Elizabeth smiled. “I would love to.” 

Nodding, Nicole released Waverly’s hand with a caress and walked out the door, leading her mother through the hallways to the neonatal unit. She could give the woman the benefit of the doubt, for now.    
  


* * *

 

On the eighth day after the shooting, Waverly showed the first signs of waking. Nicole felt the hand she was holding move, the fingers curl around her own. Trying not to get her hopes up too much, Nicole rang for the nurses. “She moved her hand.”

The nurse stepped up and lifted Waverly’s eyelids, shining her light into them. She smiled up at Nicole. “Her pupils are responding to the light. I’m going to contact the doctor. This doesn’t mean she’ll wake up immediately, but it’s a good sign.” 

Nicole paced the room, her eyes never leaving Waverly, unable to sit still until she knew more. The doctor arrived a few minutes later and performed his own set of tests. “Miss Earp?” he asked as he saw the woman stir. He tried that a couple of times without result. Waverly grew still again.

Nicole dropped back down in her chair.

The doctor looked at her with a supportive smile. “Her responses are good, Sheriff. I’m sure she’ll wake up soon.” He left the room. 

Nicole tried not to let it get to her, but it did anyway. She bent her head and couldn’t help the tears from running down her cheeks. That’s how Wynonna found her a bit later.

“Nicole? What’s wrong? Something happened?” Wynonna feared her sister’s condition was deteriorating.

Nicole sniffed and wiped at her cheeks. “No … Waverly showed some signs of waking up. But then she didn’t, and I just think it hit me a bit hard.” 

Wynonna pulled Nicole into her. “It’s ok. You’re stressed. We all are. I’d be bawling my eyes out too if it was me who saw that.” She noticed Nicole still looked tired, her face pale and there were bags under her eyes. “Why don’t you get some sleep, Red.” 

Nicole blew out a breath, but nodded. She went to her bed, still at the other end of the room, and crawled beneath the sheets. She was out in seconds.

 

* * *

 

Wynonna sat in a comfy chair with her boots propped up on the table, nodding off to sleep with her chin resting on her chest. She had been doing paperwork, her burden until Nicole was up and about, but after an hour or so she really needed a nap. Someone inhaled sharply and Wynonna opened her eyes and looked at Nicole, it wouldn’t be the first time the redhead was caught in a nightmare, but she was still sleeping peacefully. She frowned and looked the other way, right into the confused hazel eyes of her sister. “Waves,” Wynonna gasped and ran over to the bed, almost tripping over her own feet. 

“Nonna?” Waverly’s voice was rough and scratchy, not having been used for so long. She had no idea what was going on and watched in confusion at the tears escaping her sister’s eyes. 

Wynonna took one of Waverly’s hands between her own and brought it to her cheeks, smiling when trembling fingers wiped at the tears. 

It was still all very confusing to Waverly. Her eyes fell down and landed on her flat belly and she gasped audibly. 

“Oh, no. It’s ok, Waves.” Wynonna understood the sudden pannik. “They’re ok. And they’re beautiful.” She moved to the side a bit, so Waverly could see the other bed in the room. “Nicole’s fine too. Just running herself ragged, like always.” She felt her sister relax when she saw the red hair peeking from beneath the blanket, and Waverly’s eyes drooped once more. “You go to sleep, baby girl. We’ll be right here when you wake up again.” Waverly gave her a little nod before closing her eyes. Wynonna chuckled breathlessly, dropping her head down to the bed. 

Things would work out after all.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. OMFG ... I actually managed to finish it!
> 
> Note that this epilogue went up together with the last chapter (6), so make sure you read that first.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who supported me through this. And I hope to see you all again on another story! 
> 
> A special shout goes out to my BETA, Rebellion_Bear. Thank you so much for your time. I'm not a native English speaker (though my English is way better than my Dutch) and you help me turn my stories into something better. I learned so much from you again and hope you will join me once more on the next adventure.

Taking a deep breath, Nicole checked the gun in her hand to make sure it was loaded up. She pressed her back into the wall, feeling the rough grain of the wood dig into her. “One, two, three,” she counted to herself, silently, as she waited for the crunch of boots. She inhaled and tensed her muscles before jumping from behind the corner, going into a roll and getting up to one knee. She fired her NERF gun with trained precision, grinning when all six foam darts slammed into her target’s chest.

“Goddamn, Haught!” Wynonna cried out, having been outmaneuvered once again. She rubbed at her chest. Those darts packed a punch. She rolled her eyes when Nicole smirked wider. Nicole jumped to her feet, ran back to the wall and high-fived the small boy who sat on a crate watching them.

Eight year old Wyatt was rather small for his age, but made up for it in personality. He saw Wynonna raise her gun and his eyes widened. “Mom! Run!” He squealed with laughter when Nicole lifted him up in her arms and ran away.

Wynonna growled, “You could stand still for one minute!” She yelled after her and then lowered her voice to a mumble, “So I can take one of these darts and shove them somewhere top-shelf.” Then she grinned and took off after them, following Wyatt’s laughter.

“Those two will never grow up, will they?”

Waverly chuckled as she turned away from the scene to look at her aunt. “No, I don’t believe they will.” The smile on her face was mirrored by the older woman. “Yet I don’t think I mind.” She turned her head and lifted a hand to run through the messy ginger hair of the girl sitting at the table. Wynter glanced up from her coloring book and rolled her eyes when she saw her mom, with her brother in her arms, running away from her aunt firing darts at them. She shook her head and returned to her pencils.

The game lasted a couple of minutes longer before Wynonna finally ran out of darts. Nicole dropped Wyatt into a chair next to his sister and leaned her hands on the table, catching her breath. She looked up when she felt Waverly press into her side. “I’m all sweaty,” she said, but Waverly leaned up for a kiss anyway.

“I happen to like you all sweaty,” Waverly whispered into her ear before placing another kiss on Nicole’s lips.

“Ewww! Mom, mama!” Wyatt exclaimed, scrunching his face.

Nicole chuckled and bent down, placing a kiss on Wyatt’s forehead even as he squirmed away in his seat. She did the same with Wynter, the girl accepting the kiss with a smile. Nicole looked down at the drawings and praised the girl.

They looked up when they heard horses approach and Doc appeared, riding a tall black horse. He halted and dismounted, watching as his daughter brought her pony to a stop next to him and took hold of the halter. Alice, tall and slender at her ten years of age, slid down from the saddle with practiced ease. Her cowboy boots landed on the grass with a soft thud and she straightened out her shirt, tipping back her hat.

Wynter jumped up from her chair and turned to her moms. “Can I go help with the horses?” It only took one nod of Waverly’s head for the girl to sprint to them.

Wyatt stood but before he could open his mouth to ask, Waverly turned to him. “Yes, you can go too. But don’t go into the stables on your own. Same for your sister!” She had to yell the last part as both her children had run off by then. She shook her head with a smile as she watched them go. Nicole’s arms wrapped around her waist and she leaned back into the strong body, sighing in contentment when Nicole nuzzled her nose into her hair.

Nicole tangled their fingers together and looked down at the matching rings on their fingers. They had gotten married two months after Waverly had been released from the hospital. It was a small wedding, with just their friends and family. They’d decided to have it at the homestead. Doc had built them a wooden pagoda, filled with white flowers in bloom. It was perfect in its simplicity.

“They grow up so fast,” Waverly mentioned, watching as Doc lifted her two kids onto his horse to walk to the stables. They were so similar in many aspects, yet so different in others. Wyatt looked up to Nicole, wanting to be a police officer when he grew up. He was tough and very energetic. Loud and boisterous. Wynter was more reserved, taking an interest in drawing and reading, the latter she frequently did with Waverly. They were very alike in looks, with both of them having the same auburn hair, just a shade darker than Nicole’s, and Waverly’s hazel eyes.

Wynonna nudged her shoulder into the couple, breaking them out of their bubble. Waverly glared at her sister for a second and rolled her eyes at the grin on the eldest Earp’s face.

“When’re Liz and Vinnie arriving?”

Nicole chuckled, “You know my dad hates it when you call him that.” She knew Wynonna did it on purpose. Though their relationship had improved over the years, Nicole and her father would never be close. There was too much hurt between them. But she tolerated him, if only for her mother’s sake. And she didn’t want to keep him away from his grandchildren. Wynonna would always pick her side, that’s what best friends do after all. And the jibing and teasing … Vincent had gotten used to it. In fact, Nicole had the suspicion her father took a liking to Wynonna. “They’re landing in Calgary in a couple of hours.”

“Want me to go pick them up?” Wynonna offered. She didn’t mind one bit, it would give her more time to verbally spar with old Haught. “And I’m sure Doc wouldn’t mind watching the kids. That would give you two ... “ she glanced at her watch “... four hours of peace and quiet and an empty house.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Waverly didn’t even blush when she bit her lip and glanced up into Nicole’s eyes, who appeared to be pondering it. Time to themselves was scarce, with two kids in the house and Nicole on the job as sheriff. But Nicole was on leave for a couple of days after leaving the town in the capable hands of Jesse James.

Turning into Nicole’s arms, Waverly trailed a hand down Nicole’s hip and up again on the inside of her thighs, letting her fingertips brush over the seam at Nicole’s crotch, smiling when her wife swallowed audibly. Then she leaned up, whispered, “Race you,” into Nicole’s ear, pecked Wynonna on the cheek and ran off onto the driveway and into their house.

“I didn’t need to see that!” Wynonna called after her. She turned to Nicole, wide eyed and stunned. “Go on Red. But don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Which is what exactly?” Nicole teased back, her natural bravado returning as the shock faded. She didn’t wait for an answer and made her way into the house.

When Nicole’s two bedroom house grew too small for their family, they decided to build a house on the homestead property. Far enough on the edge to give them some privacy, but still close to the rest of their family. Wynonna, Doc and Alice lived in the homestead, which had been renovated by Doc himself. He also rebuilt and enlarged the barn, now breeding and training horses for a living. Wynonna was still a Deputy, even if she still refused to wear her uniform. The town was used to it by now.

And Waverly finally got to use that big brain of hers, working as a part time history teacher at the university in the city. The rest of her time she spent with either her children or with Gus, who still ran Shorty’s.

Nicole entered through the door Waverly had left open, closing and locking it behind her. “Waves?”

“Up here.”

Nicole smiled at the alluring voice coming from upstairs. She paused in the doorway and ran her hand across the carvings in the wood, measurements of her family. She grinned at her own stripe, carved the highest and remembered Wyatt vowing he’d catch up to her one day after he reached the four foot mark just this morning.

She kicked off her boots at the bottom of the stairs, climbing up in her sock feet, and went into her bedroom, leaning her shoulder against the wall to take in the sight in front of her. “You are a vision.” When Waverly beamed up at her from the bed Nicole came in and locked the door behind her, just in case one of the kids tried to barge in. When her knees hit the bed, she crawled in, taking her time to cover Waverly’s near naked body with her own and moaned when the petite woman grabbed her shirt and pulled her down into a kiss. “Someone’s eager,” she whispered against Waverly’s lips.

Waverly grinned sheepishly, her blush spreading all the way down to her chest. “Well, what can I say? Sometimes Wynonna does have great ideas.” She placed a hand on Nicole’s chest and pushed her up. “And you have way too many clothes on.”

Nicole sat up on her haunches, knees on either side of Waverly’s hips, and pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it somewhere into the room. She unclasped her bra and shrugged it off, enjoying Waverly’s wide eyes roaming her body. Then, she leaned down again and captured Waverly’s lips in a kiss, letting out a groan when her nipples brushed against the fabric of Waverly’s bra. She moved her lips down the long neck, nipping at the sensitive spots to make the other woman groan and buck beneath her, and onto her chest. She hesitated when her lips found the ragged scar. She always did. The memory of almost losing her family was never far away.

Waverly trailed her fingers through her wife’s hair to ground her in the present once again, a ritual they perfected through the years, and exhaled when Nicole started moving down again. Skilled fingers found the front clasp of her bra and removed the item, making way for lips to close around her nipple. “Nicole,” she hissed between her teeth, feeling fingers skate down her body and bury themselves in her wetness.

This first one would be fast, Nicole decided, knowing Waverly liked it that way. But after that, they had four hours to kill, and Nicole didn’t plan on leaving their bed before they absolutely had to.

 

* * *

 

Waverly sighed in contentment and burrowed into the warm body underneath her, finally completely sated after hours of lovemaking. The way Nicole was holding her, hands running with soothing motions across her skin, was quickly putting her to sleep. A quick glance at the clock showed her that they still had at least an hour before the visitors would arrive, so she decided to let herself enjoy the peace and quiet. And the occasional aftershock running through both their bodies still.

Nicole held on tight, feeling Waverly drift to sleep. She breathed deeply, running her fingers through Waverly’s long hair that spilled across her chest. Her eye caught the large framed picture hanging on the wall. A photo of her family taken not so long ago. Waverly and herself were on the left side, with Wyatt and Wynter in front of them, Waverly’s arms pulling her daughter close against them. Nicole, in uniform with her Sheriff’s badge proudly on her chest, had one hand on Wyatt’s shoulder and the other arm over Waverly. Wynonna was next to her sister in the middle of the picture, also holding onto Waverly. Doc stood by her side, looking mighty uncomfortable as he always did around modern technology. Alice stood next to him, wearing the same cowboy getup as her father did and rolling her eyes at Doc’s antics. On her other side was her great aunt Gus, a little older, a little grayer, but still a mighty woman. At the right end of the picture stood Robin, also in full police uniform as he was now a deputy underneath Nicole. Jeremy was sitting cross-legged by his feet, a little two year old boy wearing a spiderman t-shirt in his lap. They were all smiling at the camera.

Remembering that day, the B-day party for both of her kids, who turned eight, and Alice, who turned ten, made Nicole break out into a grin.

This was it then, her life, her family. This is what she made of it and she was feeling very proud of herself at the moment. Waverly chose this moment to sigh and snuggle deeper into her. _Yes, very proud indeed,_ she thought with a smile.

Yeah, there had been struggle. There had been bad days. But looking back, Nicole wouldn’t change a single thing.

This was happiness. True happiness. And she couldn’t wait to see what the future would hold.

 

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always remember to feed the author. We do this for fun and comments are our only payment. They motivate us to keep doing what we do. And they help bring in new readers who would skip passed this story otherwise. Tell me what you liked about it. Tell me what you didn't, or if there was anything you missed. It can only help me grow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Remember to feed the author!


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